NIRGOSH GAUDE | NT
PONDA
The new fee structures for government hospitals of the state has pushed up the revenue of the Sub-District Hospital in Ponda, which has seen an increase in its daily collections from Rs 3500 to an average of Rs 15000.
The revised fees have fetched the revenue of Rs 8.70 lakh in the last 55 days for the hospital.
The information obtained from the hospital through a RTI plea disclose that in December 2017, the Sub-District Hospital had collected earnings of around Rs 1 lakh, which jumped to Rs 4.48 lakh in January and has stood at Rs 4.23 lakh till February 24.
The government hospital, which registers an average of 13,000 OPD cases in a month, has registered 13,999 OPD cases in January 2018 as against 10,970 OPD cases in December 2017, sources at the hospital said.
Coincidently in January 2017 too, the hospital had registered 13,999 OPD cases, indicating that there has been no decline in the number of patients visiting the hospital despite the new fee structure kicking in.
Of the total revenue collected by the hospital in the last two months, 76 per cent of it has been earned through registration fees and 10 per cent through admission fee. Eight per cent of the revenue has been earned through the fees charged for using laboratories and the rest six per cent of income came through the fees charged for using X-rays, ultrasound machines, mortuary and for issuing certificates.
The hospital earned Rs 105140 in December 2017. The earnings chiefly came in the form of registration fee of Rs 20. Other miscellaneous fees also contributed to the revenue for that month.
After the state government revised the fee structure for its hospitals beginning January 1, the Ponda hospital’s registration fee now stands at Rs 100 for both Goan and outstation patients.
Admission and ward fees applicable for outstation patients have been fixed at Rs 50 per day per bed. Fee for plain X-rays is Rs 100, the fee for a routine blood test stands at Rs 200, while the charge for a CT scan is around Rs 1200. Moreover, around Rs 1500 are charged for a surgical procedure and Rs 300 are charged as a consultation charge from the outstation patients.
The sources said that different fee structures for different types of cases and tests have been stipulated by the public health department.
“If it is a case of operative treatment then outstation patients are asked to pay 30 per cent of the cost of the procedure as charged under the Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana. Goans showing valid cards like DDSSY card, voter’s card or driving licence are exempted from charges other than the registration fees,” the sources.
It is pertinent to note here that numbers of patients visiting the hospital vary each month. The Sub-District Hospital in Ponda has an average of around 13,000 OPD cases per month. But in some months only 10,000 cases are registered, while sometimes 15000 cases are registered, a doctor of the hospital said.