NEW DELHI: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has hiked the rent and diet charges of private ward rooms.
According to the letter issued by AIIMS dated July 20, the charges for A class (deluxe room) at AIIMS will now be ₹6300 per day. The patients will have to pay 10 days advance deposit of ₹66,000, including 5 per cent GST and diet charges.
The development came after the GST Council in its 47th meeting had recommended that the room rent (excluding ICU) exceeding Rs 5,000 per day per patient charged by a clinical establishment will be chargeable to GST at the rate of 5 per cent.
“The undersigned is directed to notify the following hospital charges for room rent for private ward hospitalized patients with effect from 18th July, 2022, as per notification of Government of India levying GST @5 percent on the room rent (except ICU) exceeding ₹5000/- per day per patient charged by a hospital. Room rent: ₹6,000 + GST 5% = ₹63,00/- per day for A- class or Deluxe rooms,” Narinder Bhatia, financial advisor of AIIMS forwarded to medical superintendent, HoDs and other officials.
According to experts in health sectors, the decision will badly impact the initiative to provide affordable health care. They said that the only long-term solution is strengthening the public healthcare infrastructure to provide affordable and quality healthcare to millions who cannot afford it and totally depended on government facilities.