Benchmark hospital room cost against 3-star hotel tariff: Panel

Hospital administrators, however, questioned the comparison.NEW DELHI: A patient’s hospital room in a private hospital could soon cost no more than a room in a nearby three-star hotel if a key recommendation of the parliamentary standing committee on health and family welfare is accepted. In an effort to rein in soaring medical bills, the panel has proposed linking room rents in private hospitals in major metropolitan cities to the average tariff charged by three-star hotels nearby.The recommendation is part of the committee’s report on the affordability and accessibility of healthcare facilities in public and private sector, which says the absence of a transparent mechanism for fixing room charges has led to wide variations in bills. It recommended benchmarking room rents to nearby three-