With private hospitals allegedly over-charging coronavirus patients, the Director of Public Health of Telangana has started taking action against errant hospitals.

On Tuesday, the government issued a showcause notice to a couple of private hospitals in Hyderabad. It was acting upon more than two dozen complaints. A TNIE report said that a hospital in Madhapur has faced the stringent penalty in the form of cancellation of its license. A hospital each in Secunderabad, Nagole and Basheerbagh have received showcause notices.

Several patients have been fleeced due to the surplus billing. This is a malaise afflicting not only Telangana but also several other States in the country. Recently, a private hospital in Andhra Pradesh was found to be charging astronomical fees for treating covid patients. Hospitals have been taken to task here and there but a concerted effort to discipline them is missing.

Meanwhile, the government has said that Telangana is relatively safe, as of now, from the thrate of Black Fungus. So far, not even 100 cases of Mucormycosis have been encountered at both government and private hospitals in the State.