In Kerala, almost 80% of patients had to pay out of their own pocket for Covid treatment in private hospitals. Only 8% availed the benefits of government insurance schemes and another 12% had private insurance.

Till June 30, 2021, almost 8.2% of the total Population (29,24,166 people) had Covid infection and of that an estimated 4,38,625 required hospitalization with many requiring ICU and ventilator support. During the initial phase of the first Covid wave, Covid treatment was limited to government hospitals. However, from October, private hospitals were roped in for treatment and now 50% of Covid hospital admissions, mostly category C patients (mainly critical patients), are treated in private hospitals.

An analysis of hospitalization trends in southern states by Project Jeevan Raksha, a public-private PARTNERSHIP initiative involvingPublic Health Foundation of India(PHFI), that has been submitted to central and state governments shows that in Kerala, till June 15, only 34,755 had sought treatment in private hospitals under government schemes and another 51,102 made claims under individual health Insurance schemes.