Bhubaneswar: With persistent rise in novel coronavirus cases, the state government Friday allowed private hospitals having 30 or more number of beds to open Covid-19 units.
In view of Covid-19 pandemic, a large number of cases of different severities from mild to very mild or moderate to severe symptomatic are being detected. At present, the patients are being treated at different healthcare facilities run by government.
However, in view of the present scenario, the state will need more number of dedicated hospitals to treat Covid patients. Therefore, the government has asked private hospitals having more than 30 beds registered under Odisha Clinical Establishment (Control & Regulation) Act, 1990 to open dedicated Covid unit.
Health and Family Welfare department has issued detailed guidelines in this regard.
Now, all asymptomatic or mild cases will be sent to institutional quarantine/ home isolation or any paid Covid Care Centre run by the private hospital.
Interested private hospitals have to designate minimum of 10 per cent of all beds to be reserved for the Covid patients. However, they have to register themselves before starting it. Such facility will have ICU beds with ventilators for critically ill Covid patients.
When the suspected cases come out to be positive they will be shifted to the Covid beds provided the patient wants to take the services of hospital on payment of fees.
“Only those patients who want to pay on their own or covered under their own insurance shall be treated in the hospital. No reimbursement or payment of any kind towards treatment of such patient will be made by the government,” the guidelines said.
The private hospitals have to ensure that infection never spreads to the other non-Covid patients. The staff managing the Covid patients will work for 14 days and then go for quarantine for another 14 days.
All the tests must be done at the approved rate notified by the government. Hospital asked to charge reasonable fees from patient and refrain from collecting exorbitant fees. Otherwise, strict action will be taken against the hospital, warned the government. The hospitals cannot detain patients or the dead body for nonpayment of fees.
The hospitals also asked to allow one willing attendant of the patient to remain in the earmarked place in the hospital premise while ensuring prevention of cross infection.
