Centre Directs States to Engage Private Sector to Ensure Affordable Healthcare

The Centre government has asked States and Union Territories to proactively engage with the private healthcare providers to facilitate enhanced bed availability and critical health care facilities. According to Health Ministry states have also been asked to ensure fair and transparent charges for the services being provided.

Daily Current Affairs Quiz 2020

Key-Points:

Some states like Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh have already taken the initiative. These states have negotiated and reached an agreement with the private sector on reasonable rates and arrangements to provide critical care for COVID-19 .

Agreements have been made at reasonable rates to solve problems such as overcharging by healthcare providers for COVID treatment.

It has been suggested that the rates, once fixed, must be widely publicised so that both the patients and service providers are fully aware and capacities are used optimally.

States have also been asked to proactively engage with the private sector health providers and consider pooling in public and private healthcare facilities, as this will help in providing prompt, good quality and reasonable health care to COVID-19 patients.