Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government on Thursday issued an advisory for provisioning of a minimum of 50% available general beds & ICUs beds in private hospitals having 30 or more beds for treatment of Covid-19 patients.
The advisory has been issued as per the direction of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today, P.K. Mohapatra, Additional Chief Secretary, Odisha Health & Family Welfare Department has written to all Collectors, Municipal Commissioners, and CDM & PHOs in this regard.
According to the Health ACS, 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 case to a Government Covid facility.
It is also observed that the private hospitals are also not admitting the Covid positive patients with a plea that they do not have Covid beds. Many private hospitals have designated very few beds for Covid patients and have kept the rest for non-Covid patients. This has resulted in increased load on Government Covid facilities, the Health dept ACS said.
“In view of the above, the Private Hospitals having facility for 30 beds or more and registered under Odisha Clinical Establishment (Control & Regulation) Act 1990 and the Amendments there under are directed to ensure the provision of a minimum of 50% of available General Beds and 50% of ICU/HDU Beds for treatment of Covid patients and to follow the guidelines issued earlier,” the letter read.
- The Private hospitals having facility for 30 beds or more may go up to 100% of such available beds as and when the need arises.
- They should refrain from referring the patients to other Hospitals when such cases are detected positive.
- On such provision of beds for Covid treatment, they have to intimate the Collectors and DM of the District concerned and the State Level Authorised Officer.
- They have to appoint one Authorised Medical Officer who will coordinate with state authorities and the contact numbers shall be intimated to the Govt. in the email ID-covidhfw.2021@gmail.com.
- The hospital shall charge reasonable fees from the patient and refrain from collecting exorbitant fees, failing which action as deemed fit will be taken against the hospital.
The prescribed fees shall be as under, which was notified earlier:
- Where additional procedures are required for the medical or surgical emergencies during the treatment for Covid-19 patients, the procedural costs as per the BSKY package may be charged.
- The hospital shall create a help desk, accessible physically and telephonically for counseling of relatives of patients and share information on the status of health to attendants of the patient regularly.
- All patients’ data shall be uploaded in the designated portal or social media group in the appropriate format.
