Shillong, Aug 7: In view of the financial burden faced by citizens on COVID-19 treatment, Meghalaya government has on Saturday decided to put a capping on private hospital charges relating to COVID expenses.

After receiving recommendations from medical experts, Health Minister Prestone Tynsong said that the government has approved to enhance rate for all the treatment under COVID in private hospitals which will be covered under MHIS.

The government has also decided that MHIS facility will be enhanced, which will be like an Out Of Pocket Treatment.

“Since most patients when admitted, bills may have increased and the MHIS benefit was covering only 60%. So along with the team of MHIS the government has decided to approve a new enhanced rate for all the treatment under Covid,” said Tynsong.

The enhancement or rates fixed is be under five categories

New rates fixed

General ward without oxygen requirement is  Rs 7,000 per day
General ward with oxygen requirement Rs 11,500 per day
ICU HDU without ventilator  Rs 14,000 Per Day
ICU with Non- Invasive Ventilation 18,000 Per Day
ICU with Invasive Ventilation Rs 20,000 Per Day

Tynsong informed that the health experts have done proper calculation and after the proposal was brought it was approved on Saturday.

This will be effective from August 15, 2021.

Ramping ICU oxygen plants

The government has decided to backup mission and private hospitals in the form of ramping ICU oxygen plants.

“Need to ramp up ICU in the state, looking at the trend of positivity rate which is high and may keep increasing… so taking this into consideration we made this decision,” informed Tynsong.

Majority cases Delta variant

The health department has also informed that majority of the COVID-19 cases are all delta variant.

“In this second wave that started this year, the medical experts has fully proved that all cases since April is delta variant,” said Tynsong.

The department has cautioned citizens how delta variant has a double impact and that one cannot compare it with the first wave.

“We have been trying to control the situation. We need each and every household and citizens to strictly follow the protocols issued by the Government. Inspite of the fact that team of doctors and nurses and health workers and all those at the grassroot level are hardly getting any sleep and are working, yet cases are increasing every day. It is happening because citizens don’t seem to understand the percentage of infection during this second wave,” Tynsong expressed.

Vaccination

The health department has also urged citizens to come forward to get themselves vaccinated since this was the only way forward to fight the virus.

Aggressive vaccination drive has been going on however it is still at a low pace.
45% of the total population of Meghalaya has been vaccinated till date.