Patients seeking treatment at government hospitals under the Bengaluru Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) will now face increased medical charges, following a recent hike in service fees. The revised rates apply to major hospitals including, Victoria Hospital, Vani Vilas Hospital, Minto Hospital, the Super Specialty Hospital, and Trauma Care Centers.
The Karnataka government has issued a circular detailing the updated charges, effective immediately. Key changes include a doubling of outpatient department (OPD) registration book fees from Rs 10 to Rs 20 and a similar increase in inpatient admission charges, which now cost Rs 50 instead of Rs 25. Blood test fees have risen from Rs 70 to Rs 120, ward charges have been increased to Rs 50 from Rs 25, and hospital waste management charges have seen the steepest hike, rising from Rs 10 to Rs 50.
This hike is part of a state-mandated 10%-15% increase in medical service charges across all government-run hospitals, with BMCRI institutions being the first to implement the revised rates.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao defended the move, describing it as a necessary adjustment given inflation and unchanged prices over many years. “We are revising user fees that were decided long ago. In certain areas, we have increased them by 10% or 20%. For example, charges that were Rs 10 have been revised to Rs 20, and those that were Rs 20 are now Rs 50. This is not a burden on the people; these are affordable prices. Therefore, it is not a big issue,” Rao explained.
He also pushed back against criticism linking the price hikes to funding requirements for the government’s guarantee schemes, asserting that the revisions were a routine adjustment rather than an extraordinary measure. “Even previous governments have revised charges for water bills, electricity bills, and many other services. The comparison is irrelevant, as the rates had remained unchanged for many years. We have only increased them slightly, that’s it,” Rao added.