Foreign investment pushing treatment costs beyond manageable levels in private hospitals: Kerala CM

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 1 (PTI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said some major private hospitals in the state have attracted foreign investment, but the move is pushing treatment costs "beyond manageable levels".

Speaking after laying the foundation stone for a new surgery complex and other facilities at the Government Medical College Hospital here, he said, "These companies have not invested in private hospitals with the intention of improving healthcare facilities in the state but to extract higher returns on their investments." Vijayan alleged that most prominent private hospitals across Kerala now fall into this category.

"From the outside, the hospital names and management appear the same. But investments have been made by some big foreign companies. They want to provide good medical care, but the rates for treatment are going beyond manageable levels," he said.

He noted that several private hospitals in Kerala are super-speciality institutions relied upon by many people.

"These companies (foreign investors) realise that the hospitals have been operating efficiently, so they can recover their investments with higher profits. That is why they have come to Kerala. They want to increase their profit at the earliest," Vijayan added.

The chief minister said the trend has now become a growing concern and urged people to take note. "There are hardly any super-speciality hospitals that can match the expertise and capacity of our state-run medical colleges," he added. PTI LGK SSK