Pvt hospitals in Odisha to reserve at least 50% of beds for Covid positive cases

Bhubaneswar: At a time when private healthcare institutions refused to admit Covid-19 positive cases, the Odisha Government today decided to direct all the private hospitals registered under the Odisha Clinical Establishment (Control & Regulation) Act 1990 to reserve at least 50% of the total beds for treatment of the coronavirus-affected patients.

Additional Chief Secretary of Health and Family Welfare, PK Mohapatra in a letter to the District Collectors, Municipal Commissioners, CDMOs and Public Health Officials directed them to ensure the private hospitals having facility for 30 beds or more reserve minimum 50% of available General Beds and 50% of ICU/HDU beds for treatment of Covid patients.

The Additional Chief Secretary further stated if need arises, the private hospitals may reserve 100% beds for treatment of Covid patients.

He added, “It is observed that the private hospitals are treating the non-Covid cases, but when they find such patients to be Covid-19 positive during the treatment, they immediately request the Government machinery to shift the cases to a Government Covid facility.”

The private hospitals are also not admitting Covid positive cases citing that they do not have Covid beds. Also, some other private hospitals have designated very few bed for Covid patients and kept the rest for non-Covid patients, the letter read.

Mohapatra stated the private hospitals should refrain from referring the Covid patients to other hospitals especially government Covid facilities.

He asked the private hospitals to appoint one Authorised Medical Officer to coordinate with the State authorities.

The Additional Chief Secretary asked the private hospitals not to charge exorbitant prices. The prescribed fees for the private hospitals are as follows:

Mohapatra stated additional costs for the medical or surgical emergencies during treatment of Covid-19 patients can be charges as per the BSKY package

The private hospitals shall create help desks accessible both physically and telephonically for counseling of relatives of patients and share information on status of patients’ health with the attendants regularly.

The hospitals are required to upload the data of the patients in the designated portal ot social media group in appropriate format.

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