By Ishwor Chandra Jha, Kathmandu, July 30: The government has fixed the fee that private hospitals can charge for treatment of a COVID-19 patient.

Dr. Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson of the Ministry of Health and Population, informed that private hospitals can charge from Rs. 3,500 to Rs. 15,000 a day at the maximum as fee for the treatment of a COVID-19 patient depending on the severity of the case.

Number of infections has continued to increase after lifting the lockdown which has put pressure on the government hospitals for treatment of the COVID-19 patients.

The government came up with the fee structure for treating COVID-19 patients in designated private hospitals in order to end the situation wherein infected people have been forced to roam around in lack of treatment.

The government enlisted hospitals for treatment of COVID-19 classifying them into three levels as 1, 2 and 3.

A meeting of the Council of Ministers had on June 29 approved with amendment the order related to providing grant to hospitals for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The second point of the order mentions that treatment of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patient will be provided free of cost.

The order has the provision about making arrangement for treatment of COVID-19 patients in private, non-governmental, cooperative and community hospitals in case the situation arises wherein the government hospitals fall short of services for the infected as needed.

However, the Health Ministry has made it clear that the government will not provide treatment cost for those who get admitted to private hospitals for COVID-19 treatment at this time.

Dr. Gautam said that the fixing of the treatment fare was just to bring uniformity in the cost in private hospitals. "We have 10,000 beds in government hospitals across the country and treatment is free of cost in these hospitals," he said.

He said that present order could be amended if the government hospitals get overwhelmed due to COVID-19 patients or number of active cases is more that bed-capacity in government hospitals.

Although the government has already made it clear that treatment of the COVID-19 patients would be free of cost, method of payment in case COVID-19 patients are compelled to seek treatment in private hospitals is yet to be made clear.