India's biggest hospital to exempt patients from paying charges during the coronavirus pandemic

The AIIMS has exempted its patients from paying charges for admission in general wards and medical investigation during the period of coronavirus pandemic till normalcy of patient care services is restored as before, officials said. "The AIIMS in view of exigency situation has exempted all charges payable on account of admission and hospitalisation of all patients being admitted in general wards through emergency or with referral from outside as a special case during the period of epidemic till normalcy of patient care services is restored as before," an order issued last month said.

According to the order, the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (AB-PMJAY) beneficiaries being hospitalised in AIIMS and all centres will continue to get requisite benefits under the scheme as before, including provision of all medicines and surgical consumables, package surgeries and issue of medicines for up to 14 days at the time of discharge.

In addition, BPL patients will also continue to be provided all non-available medicines and surgical consumables and exemption of package charges etc as before on case-to-case basis, it said.

However, for non-AB-PMJAY and non-BPL patients, procurement of such medicines, surgical consumables, implants and prosthesis (which are not routinely procured by AIIMS) by the patients, private wards hospitalisation and investigational charges, and levying of package charges for requisite procedures in CT centre, NS centre and Dr RP Centre of Opthalmic Sciences will continue as before, the order said.

For the first time in its history, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here shut down its OPD services, including speciality and all new and follow-up registration from March 24.

The AIIMS had also issued a circular postponing all non-essential elective procedures and surgeries and directed for only emergency life-saving surgeries with effect from March 21.

The hospital authorities have, however, asked an AIIMS sub-committee to prepare a blueprint for smooth restoration of OPD and non-emergency surgery services, with the administration planning to resume the services soon.

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