OdishaPlus Bureau
The Odisha govt on Friday gave permission to the private hospitals having 30 or more beds to open COVID units. The govt has cautioned these hospitals not to collect high fees and warned of strict action in case of any violation.
The state health department said, “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 process of treatment they immediately request the govt machinery to shift the case to a COVID facility, set up by the govt. It eventually caused a large surge of patients in such COVID facilities.”
The statement also added that all asymptomatic or mild cases shall be sent to institutional quarantine or home isolation or a paid COVID Care Centre run by the hospital. The interested private hospitals shall designate a maximum of 10% of all beds to be reserved for COVID treatment with an option to convert the entire hospital to a COVID hospital. Such beds must include appropriate numbers of ICU beds with ventilators dedicated to COVID patients.
The hospital is to charge reasonable fees from patients and refrain from collecting exorbitant fees. If any cases are reported, strict actions will be taken against the hospital. Talking about the disposal of the dead bodies, the institution shall develop mechanism for collection of bill amount on a day to day basis so that a lump sum amount never remains pending. All the guidelines related to COVID-19 shall be followed scrupulously.
There must be a separate fever clinic and facility for isolation of suspected cases. 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 the treatment of such patients will be made by the government.