Facing heat from the Opposition parties over hike in ambulance and health services charges, Punjab Government on Monday withdrew the orders announcing that the existing rates would be applicable for the health services available in the Government hospitals under Punjab Health System Corporation (PHSC).
The State Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said that keeping in view the deteriorating situation during Covid-19 pandemic, the instructions have been issued to withdraw the revised rates of treatment in government hospitals under PHSC.
The Minister said that the Punjab Government was committed to provide quality healthcare to the people so that the same rates would be applicable in Government hospitals, and instructions have been issued to all the Civil Surgeons in this regard.
“To ensure the tertiary healthcare services, the Government has increased the health packages from 1393 to 1579 under the Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojna which is being provided in empanelled multi-specialist hospitals to the needy people of the State. Under this Insurance Scheme, on an average, 1500 admissions are being made per day in Punjab,” he said.
In terms of the number of hospitals listed under this scheme, Punjab is one of the leading states where 767 hospitals were empanelled by the State Health Agency in the first year of the scheme, he added.
Notably, the Government had increased the user charges for more than 40 services. The ambulance charges were increased from Rs 5 per km to Rs 15, admission charges from Rs 25 in general ward to Rs 40, common surgery charges for minor surgery from Rs 100 to Rs 250, and Rs 400 for minor surgery under general anaesthesia (GA). Similarly, major surgery with GA and spinal anaesthesia had been increased from Rs 750 to Rs 1,200. And charges for special surgical operation were to be Rs 1,500.