BMC appoints 70 auditors to track on bed vacancy, overcharging in Mumbai COVID hospitals

Amid a tremendous surge in COVID-19 cases and high demand for beds in private hospitals, the BMC has appointed 70 auditors in all 35 major private Coronavirus hospitals to ensure that patients are not overcharged for beds and medical treatment. Two auditors will work in shifts in each hospital, allowing patients to file complaints regarding overpricing.

The Maharashtra Government has capped the price of a routine ward at Rs. 4000 per day. Private hospitals can charge Rs 7,500 per day for an Intensive Care Unit without a ventilator and Rs 9,000 a day for ICU with a ventilator.  The expense includes charges for beds, nurses and meals. The price however excludes the cost of laboratory investigations, high-end medicines and PPE kits.

The auditors will also look into the reservation of beds and verify the bills before they are issues to the patients. The private hospitals are expected to update real-time bed vacancy data on the BMC dashboard, and also display charges of bed, PPE kit and masks on notice boards.

The tally of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai crossed the six lakh mark on Wednesday as it added 7,684 cases, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The city also recorded 62 deaths, the highest in a day since July 21, 2020, when the same number of fatalities had been witnessed. Mumbai's caseload rose to 6,01,590 and the death toll increased to 12,501, the civic body said.

Stricter rules imposed in Maharashtra

Amid rising COVID-19 cases, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday made amendments to the 'Break the Chain' guidelines issued on April 13.  The amended guidelines will kick in at 8 pm on April 22 and will remain in effect till May 1, 2021.

Under the new curbs, all government offices will operate with 15% attendance except for those directly involved in the management of COVID. Only government officials, medical personnel and any person needing treatment will be allowed to use local trains. Local and private buses will be allowed to ply but with only 50% capacity. Marriage ceremonies are allowed to take place within 2 hours, and with not more than 25 people in attendance.

Meanwhile, CM Uddhav Thackeray is set to hold a meeting with labour unions via video conference at 4 pm on Thursday. The