Mumbai, Cracking the whip on private hospitals, the Maharashtra government on Friday imposed limits on the treatment and surgery costs that can be recovered from patients afflicted by the dreaded mucormycosis (black fungus), a post-Covid disease.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has approved a proposal by the Health Ministry fixing the charges to be levied by all private hospitals, till July 31, providing a huge relief to the common man.

The development comes a fortnight after the state government issued an order on May 18 to provide free treatment, including medicines, beds, etc, to mucormycosis patients under the Mahatma Jyotiba Jan Arogya Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, at 130 pre-determined hospitals, besides empanelling another 1000 hospitals.

"In view of the increasing number of patients being treated for mucormycosis in private hospitals, we had submitted a proposal to control the rates charged by them for treatment," said Health Minister Rajesh Tope.

No hospitals shall be allowed to fleece the patients and the government has also made a provision for auditing the treatment with stringent action against those flouting the rules, amid reports that certain private hospitals were allegedly charging exorbitantly for treating black fungus cases.

The government has classified the treatment rates chargeable by private hospitals under various criteria for cities categorised as Class A, B, C, and the rest.

The new treatment cost limits vary as per separate ward, ICU with or without ventilator, isolation wards, etc, for the full medical management, surgeries and the long stay in hospitals, making it within the reach or the ordinary patients.

The government has also fixed the cost for 28 types of surgical procedures required for mucormycosis treatment, which will be upto Rs 100,000, Rs 75,000, and Rs 60,000 in the three categorised cities respectively, and no hospitals can charge higher than the prescribed rates.

There are around 2,000 black fungus cases in the state currently with more than 150 deaths recorded till date, which are considered the highest in the country, according to officials.