Healthcare Trust: NITI Aayog Calls for Ethical Practices

New Delhi, Nov 5 (PTI) Concerned over unethical practices in the healthcare sector to fleece patients, NITI Aayog member (health) VK Paul on Tuesday said there is a need to build 'trust' and ensure that hospitals and insurance companies play by the rule.

Addressing an event here, Paul said there is a need to build trust between insurance companies and hospitals, and insurance companies and insured patients.

"We were deeply disturbed to know that some hospitals are resorting to something which breaks the trust, surge prices. When there is more demand, some hospitals are raising their prices," he said.

Paul also pointed out that some hospitals are adopting unbundled charges, with prices varying according to demand, plus surcharges for certain procedures like disinfection or priority use of operating rooms.

"Some hospitals are charging extra for some particular timings for OTs...these are not things they have agreed to with insurance companies. This tendency, it may be minimal, is really disturbing us," he said.

Emphasising that India's healthcare sector needs to move in a direction where players play by the rule, Paul said, "I hope hospitals disassociate with such tendencies like Uber --peak charges, OTs priority access".

Paul said he hopes that unethical practices in the healthcare sector are not widely prevalent.