From today, Covid-19 patients can book a private AC room at GIMS for Rs 2,000 in Greater Noida

GREATER NOIDA: In a first for the district, Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Greater Noida, a government hospital, will offer 35 private air-conditioned rooms as paid facility from Thursday.
While charges for a single-occupancy room will be Rs 3,000, a double room will cost Rs 2,000. All the rooms come with attached washrooms. While ICU charges are yet to be decided, they are expected to be above Rs 5,000.

The private rooms are being set up on the third and fourth floors of the hospital.Brigadier (retd) Dr RK Gupta, director, GIMS, said around 90% of them are ready. The team of doctors currently looking after patients in Covid wards will also tend to those in these rooms. The new rooms will be in addition to the 250 Covid beds at the hospital.
“Since we are providing quality care and working on a tight budget, we have decided to start paid AC rooms at nominal charges for Covid patients. There have been instances in the past where patients had enquired about private facilities and were willing to pay for it. Also, there are patients who can get CGHS policies,” said Dr Gupta.
According to Dr Gupta, the room charges will cover all treatment, including basic medicines such as HCQs, routine antibiotics, food and lodging. However, the cost of experimental therapies like the administration of Remdesivir and Tocilizumab, which is an anti-inflammatory drug, and charges of special tests will be separate.
“We have started giving advanced medicines such as Remdesivir and Tocilizumab to patients who are seriously ill. These have shown very good results but come at a high cost of Rs 40,000 a vial. In the long run, we have to rationalise costs,” said Dr Gupta.
He added that despite government support, GIMS has spent about Rs 3 crores in the last three months, which has put a strain on its resources.
“If we are able to generate some revenue, we can give some incentive to our staff. We are draining money, so I’ve sought oxygen support and masks from volunteers or NGOs,” said Dr Gupta.