By Andrea Hargraves 
Providers justify charging private patients the cost of enhanced protection. Deco criticizes. Some dental kits and clinics have already stopped charging.
Amounts charged to customers for personal protective equipment (PPE) for health professionals vary, among special units, more than three times. In one large group, there are 16 different prices. And there are non-conforming clients: “If they exist, it’s because they have the hygiene and safety conditions to be a hospital. Presumably the presence of viruses, etc., is their responsibility,” says J. n. Jose Santos, who paid the fees at two private hospitals.
While CUF charges a daily fee of €2 for an outpatient clinic (consultations, permanent care, imaging, dentistry, etc.), the Hospital da Luz network practices a range of 16 “predictable value” per “group” up to €50 per box ( 150, if sick with COVID-19), 7.5 euros in dentistry (15 in case of COVID-19), or 30 in interventional cardiology.