Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad Divya Prabhu has warned private hospitals and laboratories against charging high price for tests done for detection of dengue and said that as per law, action would be taken to cancel the license of such hospitals and labs.
The Deputy Commissioner, who has been holding regular review meetings on the steps taken so far to contain the disease in the district in the wake of rise in the number of confirmed cases, on Wednesday issued a press release warning the hospitals and labs.
She has said that the State government had already issued an order capping the prices for the tests and the same should be charged by the hospitals and the private laboratories. The price should be publicised prominently at the hospitals and labs and any violations would be dealt with strictly, she said.
As the number of dengue cases increased, the State government on June 3 capped the price of Dengue Elisa NS1 antigen and Dengue Elisa IgM antibody tests in private hospitals and diagnostic laboratories at ₹300. The cost of the rapid card screening tests (NS1, IgM and IgG antibodies) was fixed at ₹250.
The Deputy Commissioner has also directed the health officials to pay regular visits to hospitals and laboratories in the district to check whether the prices fixed by the government were being strictly followed. In case of any violation, action should be taken immediately, she has told the officials.
Before the State government capped the prices for the dengue tests, private hospitals and laboratories were charging between ₹750 and ₹1,500 for the tests.
Taskforce meeting
On Tuesday, Ms. Prabhu chaired a meeting of the district taskforce on dengue and gave directions to officials on the steps to be taken regarding stagnation of water, preventive and remedial measures and increasing awareness among the public.
She asked that cleanliness drives be carried out in all primary and high schools in the district on every Saturday and extensive awareness programmes be held for the children and public. Ms. Prabhu asked the district health officer to take action against fake doctors in rural areas.
District Health and Family Welfare Officer Shashi Patil, district surgeon Sangappa Gabi and others were present.
