Max Healthcare tweeted a rate card in June indicating the minimum cost of various Covid-19 treatments at one of its Delhi hospitals. The cost for the intensive care unit with ventilator was set at Rs 72,500. Eight days later, the Delhi government said that private hospitals in the national capital could not charge more than Rs 18,000 for ICU with ventilator – Rs 54,500 less than Max Hospital’s rate card price. Meanwhile, Covid-19 treatment in a government hospital is largely free.
During the ongoing pandemic, this stark difference has rekindled the debate over the cost of private and government healthcare. How is it that private hospitals, despite their exorbitant bills, claim that they are charging patients their best, most reasonable price while government hospitals charge little to nothing? How do government hospitals absorb this heavy cost?
IndiaSpend has…