A section of NRM MPs have petitioned Prime Minister, Robinah Nabanjja over the excessive charges levied against COVID-19 patients.
The legislators now want the government to revoke licenses of the health facilities that are charging patients too highly.
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The legislators were led by Atwijukire Dan Kimosho who represents Kazo Constituency.
Atwijukire said that government should intervene and save Ugandans the huge cost of treatment.
“Government should immediately interrogate overcharging of Covid-19 patients and regulate these prices in the private sector and offer standard reference prices for treatment of Covid-19 patients,” Atwijukire said in his petition.
Sheema Municipality MP Dickson Kateshumbwa said that health facilities in Uganda are charging unfairly in the treatment of COVID-19, something that needs to be checked.
“The cost of treating a Covid-19 patient in ICU here is above Shs 4 million, but in Kenya the average cost for an ICU patient is Shs 1.7 million,” Kateshumbwa said.
He added, “This is corruption and it is unacceptable.”
Last week, the head of State House Anti-Corruption Unit, Col Edith Nakalema said that government might be forced to intervene and stop private health facilities from charging Covid-19 patients exorbitantly.
According to charge sheets seen by The Nile Post, some hospitals charge ambulance for an outside patient at Sh200,000, referral from the hospital at Shs 700,000, a patient deposit Shs1 million and daily payments oxygen at Shs1,000,000.
These charges in a country where the average Ugandan earns about Shs 2.7 million a year means that the cost of transporting critically-ill Covid-19 patients is beyond the affordability of most households.
The legislators said that government should also provide subsidies on the importation of health equipment, to reduce the burden slapped on treating COVID-19 patients.
As government tries to contain the spread of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, patients battling with the virus are living in fear of going for treatment in private hospitals due to the high treatment charges.
