LAHORE            -           The Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) has issued notices to eight private hospitals for charging more rates from Covid-19 patients, which are beyond the frozen charges of February 2020. These hospitals include six – Ittefaq Hospital, Fatima Memorial Hospital, Akram Medical Complex, Masood Hospital, Lahore Care Hospital and Avicenna Hospital – of the city, and two from Multan that is, Bakhtawar Amin Trust and Medicare Hospital. Administrations of these healthcare establishments have been given 24 hours for compliance with the directives, and warned of sealing the premises in case of non-compliance. Moreover, the indoor services and elective surgeries have been suspended in two hospitals of Lahore; that is Surgimed Hospital and Sarwet Anver Medical Complex, and Ahmed Medical Complex, Rawalpindi. However, these have been directed to continue emergency services and treatment of the Covid-19 patients. As per the notices, the administrators have also been directed to treat Covid-19 patients as per rates of February 2020 display lists – both at hospital premises and websites – of all charges including per day charges of a bed/room of isolation area, high-dependency units, intensive care units, ventilator services and Injection Actemra (where this service is given).

Spokesperson of the PHC has said that most of the private hospitals have responded positively to the June 16 directions of fixing charges as per the last February. “The PHC teams are continuing inspections of hospitals, and besides taking stringent action for non-compliance of directions, violating hospitals will be sealed as well,” he added.