Penalise insurance firms for non-payment in Covid cases: CWC

New Delhi: The Congress Working Committee on Tuesday asked the government to check the prices charged by the private hospitals and ask insurance companies for timely payment to Covid patients. It also asked the government to impose a penalty on insurance firms for defaulting on payment for Covid treatment.

The CWC said that the Centre should provide immediate relief to those paying "exorbitant" prices for Covid-19 treatment in private hospitals by capping the prices. The government must ensure easy availability of the drugs approved as lines of treatment for the virus and check the astronomically high prices and ongoing black marketing.

Due to the high cost many patients are being denied treatment or are not able to afford it. The CWC also lashed out at the insurance companies for not coming forward to support or cover the Covid-19 treatment costs leading to hapless patients being financially stranded.

"The government and the insurance regulator must take all steps necessary to control the situation and impose heavy penalties on defaulting insurance companies," said the statement. The Congress alleged that the capacity of hospitals in major cities is being severely tested, the health workers are stressed and overburdened, and the Union government seems to have abandoned "its responsibilities and passed the buck to the states, without offering adequate support."

The Congress Working Committee offered its deepest condolences to the families of the more than 14,000 people who have lost their lives in the pandemic and said the curve is not flattening. "It is shocking that our country has registered the last one lakh positive cases in just eight days and we are now seeing 15,000 new cases nationwide on a daily basis," said the CWC statement.

The Government has not unveiled a "coherent strategy on reducing fatalities, increasing testing, contact tracing and ensuring social distancing and safety for the most vulnerable population," said the statement.

There is no nationwide data on available hospital beds and ventilators and no clarity on future capacity planning, alleged the Congress.

Source: Outlook India