Ensure private hospitals don’t charge exorbitant fees for COVID tests: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Jun 11 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister (CM) Siddaramaiah said on Wednesday that private hospitals imposing exorbitant charges unnecessarily in the name of COVID-19 testing must be investigated.
The CM chaired a meeting to discuss the COVID-19 situation in Karnataka.
Health department officials informed the CM that in the last 10 days, 5,000 tests were conducted in the test, revealing 862 COVID-positive cases, stated a press release issued by the Chief Minister’s Office.
So far, 11 deaths have been registered in the state, but COVID-19 was not the cause of death in 10 of these cases, the press release added.
Officials also informed the CM that an audit report is awaited for one case, said the press release.
The CM also instructed officials to avoid unnecessary confusion and to ensure that all hospitals have appropriate systems in place to manage COVID-19 cases, according to the press release.
He also insisted on inter-department coordination. The Health Department and the Medical Education Department must work in coordination, CM is quoted as saying in the press release.
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, Chief Minister’s Political Secretary Nasir Ahmed, Chief Secretary to the Government Shalini Rajneesh, and Chief Minister's Additional Chief Secretary Anjum Parwez were also present during the meeting.
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Canada, US to launch formal talks to review their free trade agreement in mid-January
Toronto (AP): Canada and the US will launch formal discussions to the review their free trade agreement in mid-January, the office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said.
The prime minister confirmed to provincial leaders that Dominic LeBlanc, the country's point person for US-Canada trade relations, “will meet with US counterparts in mid-January to launch formal discussions," Carney's office said in a statement late Thursday.
The United States-Mexico-Canada trade pact, or USMCA, is up for review in 2026. US President Donald Trump negotiated the deal in his first term and included a clause to possibly renegotiate the deal in 2026.
Carney met with the leaders of Canada's provinces on Thursday to give them an update on trade talks with the US.
Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and more than 75 per cent of Canada's exports go to the country's southern neighbour. But most exports to the US are currently exempted by USMCA.
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Trump cut off trade talks to reduce tariffs on certain sectors with Carney in October after the Ontario provincial government ran an anti-tariff advertisement in the US. That followed a spring of acrimony, since abated, over Trump's insistence that Canada should become the 51st US state.
Carney said earlier Thursday that Canada and the US were close to an agreement at the time on sectoral tariff relief in multiple areas, including steel and aluminum. Tariffs are taking a toll on certain sectors of Canada's economy, particularly aluminum, steel, auto and lumber.
Carney also said trade irritants flagged this week by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are elements of a “much bigger discussion” about continental trade. Greer said a coming review of the Canada-US-Mexico trade deal will hinge on resolving US concerns about Canadian policies on dairy products, alcohol and digital services.
Carney and the provincial premiers agreed to meet in person in Ottawa early in the new year.
Canada is the top export destination for 36 US states. Nearly USD 3.6 billion Canadian (USD 2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day.
About 60 per cent of US crude oil imports are from Canada, as are 85 per cent of US electricity imports.
Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the US and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security.
Carney said US access to Canada's critical ministers is not a certainty.
“It's a potential opportunity for the United States, but it's not an assured opportunity for the United States. It's part of a bigger discussion in terms of our trading relationship, because we have other partners around the world, in Europe for example, who are very interested in participating,” Carney said earlier Thursday.
