New Delhi. Following the increase in service charges, patients undergoing treatment at government hospitals under the Bengaluru Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) will now have to face higher medical charges. The revised rates apply to major hospitals including Victoria Hospital, Vani Vilas Hospital, Minto Hospital, Super Specialty Hospital and Trauma Care Centre. The Government of Karnataka has issued a circular detailing the updated charges with immediate effect. The major changes include doubling of outpatient department (OPD) registration fee from Rs 10 to Rs 20 and a similar increase in inpatient admission fee, which now costs Rs 50 instead of Rs 25. The fee for blood tests has been increased from Rs 70 to Rs 120. The ward fee has been increased from Rs 25 to Rs 50.
The hike is part of the state-mandated 10-15% hike in medical service charges across all government hospitals, with BMCRI institutions being the first to implement the revised rates. Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao defended the move, calling it a necessary adjustment in view of inflation and unchanged prices for many years, Rao said. We are reviewing the user fee that was decided a long time ago. In some areas we have increased them by 10% or 20%. For example, charges that were Rs 10 have been revised to Rs 20, and charges that were Rs 20 have now been revised to Rs 50. It is not a burden on the people; These are affordable prices. So, it’s not a big problem.
He also rejected criticism linking the price increase to funding requirements for government guarantee plans and said the review was a routine adjustment rather than an extraordinary measure. Even previous governments have revised the bill charges for water, electricity and many other services. The comparison is irrelevant, since the rates have remained unchanged for many years.
