Ghaziabad admin offers support to poor Covid-19 patients

Ghaziabad: As patients continue to battle Covid-19 in healthcare facilities, the Ghaziabad district administration said it has decided to help patients from impoverished backgrounds who are unable to afford hospital bills

Ghaziabad: As patients continue to battle Covid-19 in healthcare facilities, the Ghaziabad district administration said it has decided to help patients from impoverished backgrounds who are unable to afford hospital bills.

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The administration has also asked private hospitals to install CCTVs in Covid wards which will be linked and monitored by the Integrated Covid Command and Control Centre (ICCC) at the district headquarters.

According to records of the health department, the Ghaziabad district has 3,111 Covid beds, which include 2820 oxygen beds. Of these, the daily average occupancy in the past one week (May 9 to 15) has been 2,717. Out of the 815 ICU beds, 782 were occupied in the past one week on an average, while 185 out of 201 ventilator beds were occupied.

“It has been seen during the second Covid wave that patients are taking longer to recover and this has put a huge financial burden on their families. We have directed that hospitals should continue treating patients without any compromise on quality and such bills should be forwarded to the district administration. We have a responsibility towards these patients, and we will get such bills settled through means such as corporate social responsibility funds, among others,” said Ghaziabad district magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey.

According to the state control room figures of May 17, the total Covid case tally in Ghaziabad stood at 51,759 so far, with 47,757 discharges, 386 deaths and 3,616 active cases.

“The ICCC will take daily information of vacant beds, availability of medicines and availability of ICU beds. Status of patients will be noted through CCTVs. It has also seen that patients’ kin have to run around town looking to fill prescriptions issued by hospitals, and end up falling into the trap of black-marketers and face problems. We have clearly directed hospitals that they are to make all arrangements themselves, as part of treatment. In case the hospitals face issues or are short of supply, they should immediately refer it to the district administration,” Pandey added.

Meanwhile, a team of officers has started on a “bill audit” of as many as five hospitals upon complaints of alleged over-charging received by families of patients.

“We have started the process and some of the bills have been settled. In cases of over-charging, the hospitals will be asked to refund, else their registrations may be cancelled. We have also directed for audit of the entire supply chain, from the manufacture to the retailer level, for life-saving medicines related to black fungus. This is a new emergence with some Covid patients, and we need to curb black-marketing of such drugs,” the DM said.

Private hospitals who attended a meeting in this regard on Monday said they are following the directions of the district administration as well as the state government.

“Some directions were issued last year and this year too. All directions are being followed and complied with. We are providing the best available treatment to our patients and are also following guidelines,” said a spokesperson from Yashoda Hospital at Kaushambi.

Officials of the Indian Medical Association (Ghaziabad) said they have no issues with the directions of the district administration, provided that there is better coordination about the directions.

“Regarding installation of CCTVs, we are of the opinion that doctors need freedom when it comes to treatment, and they should be allowed to do it. In case the admin wishes to monitor, they can, but it should not be an obstruction. Further, if the admin ensures that supply of medicines is regular, the hospitals will not feel the need to issue a prescription for medicines to be obtained outside. This is only if there is a short supply of the same,” said Dr Ashish Agarwal, president of the association’s Ghaziabad chapter.

“We also feel that a lot of families are facing financial burden due to prolonged treatment during the current wave. This is due to the severity of the infection. If the admin has stepped in to help such families, we would also appreciate it,” he added.