Mohali :
Former Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Wednesday urged the Punjab Government to regulate treatment charges in private super specialty hospitals by constituting a high-powered committee to fix rates for tertiary healthcare services, similar to the district-level committees formed to regulate private school fees.
Addressing a press conference in Mohali, Sidhu alleged that private super specialty hospitals are charging exorbitant rates for treatment while no regulatory mechanism exists to monitor their pricing or functioning. He claimed that many private hospitals are being run on commercial lines, with doctors being assigned revenue targets and offered incentives, and said the government must intervene to protect patients from excessive healthcare costs.
Criticising the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna, Sidhu termed the scheme a “flop,” alleging that beneficiaries enrolled under the scheme are unable to receive treatment at PGIMER Chandigarh, one of the most preferred referral hospitals for patients from Punjab. He said that while beneficiaries under the Ayushman Bharat Sehat Bima Yojna are receiving treatment at PGIMER, patients covered under the Punjab government’s scheme are reportedly being turned away as the institute has not recognised the scheme.
Sidhu also criticised the state government’s handling of the public healthcare sector, alleging that despite promising to establish one medical college in every district, the government has failed to significantly upgrade existing government hospitals.
Expressing concern over the rising burden of lifestyle diseases, Sidhu claimed that Punjab has become the “capital of diabetes and hypertension,” while cases of chronic kidney disease and cancer are also increasing rapidly. He alleged that the government lacks a comprehensive action plan and updated disease classification to effectively tackle these health challenges.
Recalling measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sidhu said that the previous Congress government had capped treatment charges in private hospitals and medical colleges in 2020 based on the recommendations of the Dr. K.K. Talwar Committee, fixing a maximum treatment cost of ₹18,000 per day for COVID-19 care, including isolation beds, ICU treatment and hospitalisation.
He demanded that the Punjab Government constitute a high-powered committee to immediately fix treatment rates for all services in private super specialty hospitals and also take necessary steps to ensure that beneficiaries of the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna receive free treatment at PGIMER Chandigarh.
