Karnataka govt announces package rates for COVID-19 patients referred by Public Health Authorities

May 7, 2021

The Karnataka government on Thursday fixed the package rates for COVID-19 patients referred by the Public Health Authorities to the private hospitals. The BS Yediyurappa government has assured of taking strict action against the violators.
Package rates for COVID 19 patients per day referred by the Public Health Authorities from the date of issue of this Notification shall be as follows:
1. General ward: Rs 5,200/-
2. HDU: Rs 8,000/-
3. Isolation ICU without ventilator: Rs 9750/-
4. Isolation ICU with ventilator: Rs 11500/-
The new rates were announced after representatives of private hospitals on May 1, 2021, met the Karnataka CM and appealed to him to enhance the package rates of treatment in each category taking into account the increasing costs in recruiting manpower and consumables costs.
Karnataka on May 5 registered nearly 50,000 COVID-19 cases on May 6. The southern state registered 49,058 fresh coronavirus infections, puhsibg the tally to 17,90,104.
The fatality count increased to 17,212 with 328 more people succumbing in the last 24 hours.
Currently, Karnataka has 5,17,075 active cases, the health department said.
Meanwhile, an expert opined that the ongoing lockdown should be extended beyond May 12 to contain the COVID surge.

“At least in two weeks we will see a peak in Karnataka,” Dr Giridhara R Babu, who is a professor and head of Life Course Epidemiology at the Public Health Foundation of India, told PTI.

The Karnataka government had imposed a lockdown from April 27 to May 12.

“I will not give a clear indication on the number of cases during the peak, but irrespective of the testing, we will see the peak in the next two weeks,” he said.

“Lockdown has helped in reducing the number of deaths, according to the models by IISc Professor Sashikumaar Ganesan. So, I recommend that the lockdown be extended by at least two weeks,” Babu opined.