The Fact News Service
Ludhiana, December 13
In the ongoing winter session of Rajya Sabha, Sanjeev Arora, MP (Rajya Sabha), on Monday, made special mention on subject of providing affordable healthcare. Special Mentions are made by MPs on matters of public importance with the permission of Chairman Rajya Sabha, under Rule 180B.
Arora made special mention, stating that “people are dying due to non-affordability of healthcare available. In corporate hospitals and institutions run by so called charitable trusts is forbidding as far as cost is concerned. We need to cap as many medical charges as possible especially for In-patient Department (IPD) patients. We also need to make sure that cost of medical facilities is near to Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) rates if not the same. Especially we need to make sure that institutions/ hospitals getting income tax exemption from government should not make profits which are extortionate to even upper-class population forget about middle class, lower middle class and below them. I therefore urge upon the government to cap medical charges to make health care affordable to all, particularly hospitals getting income tax exemption.”
Giving this information in a statement here on Tuesday, Arora said there is a need to control medicines billing & treatment charges. He pointed out that he has come across with many cases in which the patients were treated and saved but whole family came under heavy debt.
Adding, he said he knew that this cannot be completely abolished but some rules and regulations should be made to make sure that patients are not overcharged. “Patients do not know their rights or any maximum amount which can be charged”, he said.
He sought that charitable institutions should be penalised and forensic audits should be done to make sure they are not fleecing patients and government at same time. He expressed concern that diseases like Cancer are spreading like anything and drugs are too costly for common people to afford.
