Himachal govt to provide free Covid treatment in private hospitals

Himachal Pradesh Government will provide free treatment to COVID patients under Himcare and Ayushman Bharat schemes in registered private hospitals, said officials on Wednesday.

According to the state government, only the beneficiaries of the Himcare and Ayushman Bharat scheme can avail of the facility. Further, the private hospitals must be designated as a dedicated COVID hospital.

"Himachal Pradesh Government has decided to provide free treatment to beneficiaries of Himcare and Ayushman Bharat schemes to COVID-19 patients in registered private hospitals which have been dedicated as COVID hospitals," said Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.

Himachal Pradesh reported 4,977 fresh COVID-19 cases and 66 deaths in the last 24 hours, said the state health department on Wednesday. The new cases pushed the tally in the state to 1,45,736.

As many as 2,187 patients have recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours, while the active number of COVID cases in Himachal Pradesh stands at 38,954. With the new fatalities, the COVID death toll in Himachal Pradesh has mounted to 2,055.