20% increase in fees of government hospitals in Karnataka, patients will be affected

The Karnataka government has increased the fees for treatment and diagnostic tests in government hospitals in the state by up to 20 percent. This new fee has come into effect in the hospitals of Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) and other autonomous medical education institutions. Officials say that this fee increase has been done after 5-6 years, the aim of which is to strengthen the maintenance of hospitals.

In this increase, charges for some services have doubled. For example, the fee for general ward has increased from Rs 15 to Rs 20, while the fee for single bed special ward has been increased from Rs 750 to Rs 2,000. Apart from this, the fees for post-mortem, medical examination and physical fitness certificates have also increased.

This decision is likely to impact patients, especially those who have limited resources. However, officials say some blood tests are still being done free of cost