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The Tamil Nadu Government has imposed a fee-cap on COVID-19 treatment carried out by private hospitals across the state. According to a government order issued on Saturday, private hospitals will be allowed to charge a maximum fee of Rs 7,500 rupees per day for hospitals that fall in the A1 and A2 categories, while those that fall under the A3 and A4 categories will be allowed to levy a maximum fee of Rs 5,000 per day. The government order does not provide a list of private hospitals that fall in either category or will have to comply with the order. The order also states that all private hospitals can only charge a maximum ICU admission fee of Rs 15,000 per day. The order advises all private healthcare establishments to adhere to these directions, with no exceptions. The government is believed to have taken these steps following media reports of private hospitals charging exorbitant fees for COVID-19 treatment. According to the reports, patients admitted for COVID-19 treatment at some private hospitals in Chennai for a few days, were billed anywhere between Rs 1.3 lakh to 4 lakh rupees. While issuing the new fee-cap, the Tamil Nadu Government has not provided a helpline number to report defaulting hospitals.