The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Patna, has been charging patients Rs 1,500 for an RT-PCR COVID-19 test, violating the Bihar government’s order capping the cost at Rs 800, a media report said.
The Bihar government had on December 1, 2020 capped the cost of RT-PCR tests for private laboratories. Its order said: “Anyone charging more than Rs 800 for the said (RT-PCR) test… will be taken as a violation of the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 (Amended)…”
The Bihar government has said it would seek an explanation from the hospital on why it has been overcharging its general indoor patients, the Hindustan Times reported.
AIIMS-Patna Director Dr Prabhat Kumar Singh has said that the patients were overcharged due to a “software glitch” and ordered the test charge to be waived immediately.
AIIMS was reportedly offering COVID-19 treatment drugs and COVID-19 tests for free to its patients till the time it was a dedicated COVID-19 facility. It was after the hospital started admitting other patients from January 2021, the payment category in their software was changed, which was probably when they started charging for RT-PCR tests, Singh said.
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