Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar on Monday appealed to the people of the state to notify him through social media if hospitals are overcharging them for COVID-related medical facilities and not adhering to the Supreme Court guidelines which capped costs. "It is Unfortunate that people battling Covid are also having to bear the brunt of exorbitant bills from hospitals which are brazenly violating the Honorable Supreme Courts' rules. This has to be stopped. Anyone facing this, please tag me on Twitter and Facebook and I shall personally ensure the matter is looked into, enquired and action is taken if the matter is found to be valid. #CongressCares" Shivakumar said in a tweet today.
Shivakumar further accused the Karnataka Government of patronizing a large racket of hospitals and service providers who are fleecing people by over-pricing their facilities.
"The Karnataka Government is patronizing a large racket of hospitals and service providers who are fleecing people by over-pricing their facilities. This is sheer profiteering at a time when humanity is battling a pandemic and it is criminal, to say the least," Shivakumar said asserting that "unaffordable medical treatment and the untold misery of the poor is too painful to watch."
Stating that prices charged by hospitals continue to rise sharply leaving the people suffering, Shivakumar slammed the government for not taking any action against hospitals over-charging people for beds, oxygen, Covid tests, or ambulance facilities.
"Prices of hospitals in violation continue to skyrocket as does the suffering of the people. The BJP government is so complacent that it has turned a blind eye towards the misery of people, which makes us think they are complicit in this. It is a dreadful situation where hospitals are charging exorbitantly for beds, oxygen, Covid tests, or ambulance facilities, while the Chief Minister of the state remains unaffected and unbothered in this mayhem," Shivakumar said.
The KPCC President also attached the price of Covid services fixed by the government on the directions of the Supreme Court to inform people about the maximum prices of the services they should pay to hospitals and service providers.
"We should all stand by one another in this time of crisis. I have been hearing distressing news of such nature over days which is why I have decided to step in. No one should have to lose a life for not being able to afford the medical cost or due to negligence," said the Congress leader making an appeal to the people to tag him at on Twitter if they are being genuinely harassed by hospitals for Covid services.
"Cases continue to rise, the pressure on the medical infrastructure remains unabated and as a result, we lose more of our brothers and sisters. While the Government sleeps on our proposal to vaccinate, another crisis which risks the lives of our people, this profiteering, continues to grow," Shivakumar said.
He also said that it is disgraceful to see many medical institutions working with a profit motive in times like these.
"In some cases, there is clear negligence in care leading to further complications or worse, death itself. Karnataka, which has been a state of many proud distinctions, now has the infamy of being the state with the highest death toll in a single day," said the Congress leader.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people of Karnataka have tagged the KPCC president asking for help in tackling the pandemic. Responding to the queries, a personal team of the KPCC President is reaching out to the needy across all 31 districts of the state.
(With ANI inputs)
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