Lower Covid-19 Test Charges: Dasoju Sravan To KCR

Terming the prices of the Covid-19 testing services in Telangana's healthcare facilities as "exorbitant" AICC national Spokesperson Dasoju Sravan today demanded that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao immediately take steps to lower the prices of the same.

"The CM must lower the prices of the Covid-19 tests in the state and save the citizens from being plundered by unscrupulous private hospitals and diagnostics centres. The TRS government should initiate strict action against the private hospitals which are brazenly looting the public by charging hefty fees for RT-PCR tests at hospitals as well as for home testing services. However, it is not just the hospitals and diagnostic centres that are unscrupulous - the government and the CM just issue GOs for the sake of it, and do nothing for the implementation of the orders. This gives the healthcare providers the perfect opportunity to charge whatever prices they like," the AICC Spokesperson charged.

Continuing his tirade, he added, "On one side, the state is witnessing an upsurge of a second wave of Covid-19 but on the other hand, the state government has completely failed in terms of carrying out an adequate number of tests. Further, there is a paucity of testing facilities in the state. On the top of all this, even if anybody wants to get tested at private diagnostics laboratories, they get looted."

According to the senior Congress leader, on December 21, 2020, the government of Telangana had come up with an order - GO no RT 539 - where it had clearly stipulated that the lab testing be priced at Rs 500, and that Rs 750 be charged for home testing.

However, he charged that even today, diagnostics labs in Hyderabad or in other places in the state were charging Rs 850 to get tested at the labs, and Rs 1,200 for home testing.

"There is scant respect for the GO issued by the government and nobody is abiding by it. The government should implement its orders in a more forceful fashion," Sravan asserted.

The leader also suggested the TRS regime not limit its role to "simply issuing GOs" but to also actively take steps to protect the common man from being looted by the state's private hospitals.

"What kind of government cannot even ensure the implementation of its own GOs? We would like to ask the TRS regime why it has not taken any steps to implement the price cap orders? Why are the private hospitals and diagnostics centres looting the people? Common people are not able to go to any private hospital or diagnostics centre for Covid-19 testing because of the huge price tags attached to the testing services. I appeal to the government to do more than issuing paper tiger GOs. The government must realise that its job is not over yet. Instead, the real work has just begun now. The government must ensure that GOs are strictly implemented for the welfare of the people of the state," he demanded.

In addition to raising the issue of the charges of Covid-19 tests, Sravan also demanded that KCR ensure the free provision of Covid-19 vaccine to all in Telangana by converting all the PHCs and basti dawakhanas into vaccination centres and by allowing all the RMP/PMPs, clinics, and private and government hospitals to store and administer the vaccine. He also asked for the setting up of a large number of vaccination kiosks across the state which could immunise everyone in Telangana through a massive 3-day immunisation drive.