By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, June 2: The government Tuesday directed all the hospitals in the country to make public the fees they were charging to the COVID-19 patients within a week.
Issuing a press sttaement today, the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) directed all the government, private, community and all other types of hospitals to make public their fees within seven days of the notice.
The MoHP notice has also asked the hospitals to make public the fees by categorising them according to types of services provided, cost per heading/ category of service, by taking a decision from the hospitals management board and then making public the fee list via their website or notice board.
The MoHP has also asked that the details of the fee list sent to the regulatory authority or the body that granted permission to operate hospitals or the body that is regulates its registration and renewal for the operation of the respective health institution.
The Ministry’s direction comes amidst flurry of complaints by the patients alleging that the hospitals were taking high fees for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, and high fees were charged for oxygen cylinders, besides complaints of unnecessary laboratory tests and purchase of extra medicines.
Likewise, complaints were made against the hospitals for asking the patients to make arrangement of various materials necessary for the treatment on their own, read the MoHP notice.
“It is the fundamental right of every citizen and patient to be well informed about all expenses and fees for any medical treatment, and it is also the duty of the hospitals to also make public all treatment costs and fees in a transparent manner,” read the MoHP notice.