AIIMS New Delhi to double private ward charges

New Delhi: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi is planning to increase its private ward charges so as to make it at par with the ones in private hospitals, which would eventually affect the number of patients who are now able to afford these services in the government hospital at a manageable rate. 

For category-A rooms in private wards, the charges are set to be doubled from Rs 3000 to Rs 6000 per day, whereas the charges for B-category rooms would increase from the original rate of Rs 2,000 by an amount of around Rs 1000 per day, reports the Live Mint. The diet charges have also been raised from Rs 200 per day to Rs 300 per day. 

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The above-mentioned recommendations were made during a standing finance committee which was held to revise the charges of room. 

A letter issued by Dr. D.K. Sharma, Medical Superintendent of AIIMS-Delhi in this regard states, "The recommendation/decision of 222nd standing finance committee (SFC) regarding the proposal for revision of room rent of private wards at AIIMS-New Delhi. Request for taking the undertaking from the patients being admitted to the private wards forthwith."

The letter stated that the rise in private ward charges was instituted to recover the foregone revenue in the wake of the waiver of charges on low-cost investigations and laboratory tests. Further, the charges of up to Rs 500 per test on low-cost laboratory charges have been stopped for patients in the future. 

The move might affect the patients who might not be able to afford the private healthcare services in AIIMS, Delhi. 

AIIMS had last revised the charges of private wards in the year, 2011. Dr. Sharma told the Live Mint that the rates were revised in line with routine procedures in order to deal with inflationary pressures. 

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