UP govt should bear expenses for quarantine of patients in hotels: Samajwadi Party

Samajwadi Party on Sunday said that the Uttar Pradesh government has allowed exorbitant rates to prevail for patients undergoing quarantine in hotels and that the latter should bear the expenses for the patients.

"On the one hand, the (state) government is not allowing home quarantine for patients with mild symptoms. On the other hand, the government has allowed for arrangements for quarantine for such patients in hotels at rates between Rs 1,500-2,000. The treatment charges are Rs 2,000 while the patient will have to pay for food. All the expenses should be borne by the government," Samajwadi Party tweeted.

Earlier yesterday, Uttar Pradesh Principal Health Secretary Amit Mohan Prasad wrote to district collectors, asking them to transform at least one hotel in every district of the state into a COVID care centre for patients with very mild or no symptoms.

As per the letter, the patients will have to bear the cost of their stay at these centres.

In the letter on Saturday, the Principal Health Secretary has asked the district magistrates to ensure that rates for stay at these centres shall not exceed Rs 2,000 per day for double occupancy rooms and Rs 1,500 for single occupancy rooms.

The letter in Hindi read, "It has come to the notice of the government that some patients with very mild or no symptoms do not want to get admitted due to lack of adequate facilities in the COVID Care Centers and hence try to hide their disease."

"After due consideration in this regard, the government decided to introduce L-1 plus level of system for medical treatment of those patients who are without symptoms and who want better facilities and have the ability to spend for these facilities. Under this arrangement, a hotel in the districts will be operated by the district administration as a COVID Care Centre," it read.

( With inputs from ANI )