Private hospitals will not charge fees for patients with coronavirus. According to the latest breaking news, under newly revised health regulations, patients with COVID-19 have been classified as emergency cases. Accordingly, private hospitals may not demand examination participation fees or additional charges from patients receiving treatment for the virus. The regulation amending the Health Implementation Communiqué (SUT) was published in the Official Gazette and has entered into force. The SUT now records coronavirus cases as “emergency cases” with the following definition.
“Emergency cases include conditions requiring medical intervention within the first 24 hours after the sudden onset of illness, accidents, injuries and similar events; situations in which delay or transfer to another health institution would risk loss of life or health integrity; and, during the pandemic period, the diagnosis and treatment of pandemic cases. Therefore, the healthcare services provided are considered emergency health services.”
Which Diagnoses and Treatments Were Added to the Health Implementation Communiqué?
What diagnoses and treatments have been added to the Health Implementation Communiqué? Under the SUT section titled “health services for which no additional fees will be charged,” paragraph 1.9.3 now explicitly includes “during the pandemic period, the diagnosis and treatment of pandemic cases.” In addition, the SUT was expanded to cover another procedure related to recovered COVID-19 patients: the collection and use of immune plasma. This procedure involves isolating antibodies from a recovered patient’s blood and using them in the treatment of other patients. “Immune plasma procurement and application” has been included within the scope of SUT.
Furthermore, a new phrase has been added after the term “specified drugs” in subparagraph d of the first paragraph of item 2.1.2.B of the same Communiqué. The new wording specifies drugs that the Ministry of Health will supply to hospitals during the pandemic for pandemic treatment. In this way, medications used in the treatment of coronavirus are also added to the list of drugs reimbursed by the Social Security Institution (SGK).