Mumbai: Unlikely that price cap at hospitals will go, says civic body

Staff of the Tata Memorial Centre cancer hospital walk inside a temporary facility to screen patients for COVID-19 in Mumbai. Pic/AFP

After seeing a drop in the city's daily count of COVID-19 cases, private hospitals are hoping that the price cap on 80 per cent of COVID beds will be relaxed when the current order expires at the end of November. While a review meeting is expected post-Diwali, senior civic officials, however, say that amid chances of a second wave of infections, reducing the price cap is unlikely.

The state government's order extending the price cap on 80 per cent of beds for COVID patients (80 per cent of total operational bed capacity is regulated by BMC) was issued on August 31 and is valid until November 30.

"With a festival coming up, we need to see if the number of cases goes up again. After Diwali, we will take a review. However, Christmas and New Year's are also coming up, which makes the next two months crucial," said a senior civic official.

He added that the likelihood of a second surge also needs to be considered. "Looking at the international situation, there is an indication of a second surge and we need to be prepared. The systems will remain intact, changes to the price cap or allocation of beds in private hospitals are unlikely," he said.

A member of the COVID task force had a similar view. "The number of cases went up during Ganpati festival and if a similar spike occurs after Diwali, it will be a problem. The current arrangements will continue. A second wave is expected in January or February in Maharashtra. We are hoping it doesn't affect the city much," he said.

Admissions are down

Private hospitals reported a significant decline in the number of COVID patients admitted and feel that beds should be utilised to treat non-COVID patients now. Dr V Ravishankar, CEO, Lilavati Hospital, said, "COVID is on the decline. We have been managing a CCC2 facility too where the number of patients has dropped from 80 to 16 currently. We are hoping that the rule will change by December 1 and the cap will either come down to 50:50 (from the current 80:20) or be abolished."
Santosh Shetty, chief operating officer of Kokilaben Hospital too said that over the past 10 days, COVID patients needing hospitalisation has reduced. "Earlier, there was a time when the ICU would be full and many patients would be waiting for a bed. But now, 25-30 per cent beds are vacant. We have worked with the government throughout and depending on the COVID caseload, we will figure things out. If the cases come down significantly, I'm sure the government will have a different view," he said.

Take a middle ground

Suggesting a middle ground, Dr Avinash Bhondwe, president of the Indian Medical Association in Maharashtra, said that the government can relax rules until the need for more COVID beds arises. "COVID cases have gone down by 75 per cent and the need for beds is higher among non-COVID patients. Instead of keeping beds blocked for prospective COVID patients, the government should reduce the price cap to 20 per cent beds. The rule can always be brought back if the second wave emerges," he said. Dr Bhondwe further claimed that private hospitals are dealing with a higher cost of oxygen, charges for disposal of bio-medical waste and that despite repeated appeals, the charges haven't been reduced.

Leader of Opposition and Congress corporator Ravi Raja, however, supported the civic administration's opinion and stated that the city cannot let its guard down. "Now that we have figured out a protocol, we have to stick to it to ensure minimal fatalities. The state's order should continue till March 31 at least," he said.

30
Day in November the current price cap order ends

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