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Pune civic body adds 10k more beds; pvt hospitals admit patients as per capped price
Private hospitals asked to update dashboard with details of number of isolation beds, ICUs, ventilators.
PUNE Two weeks after the state government issued an order of acquiring 80 per cent beds in private hospitals to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, Pune’s overall capacity of beds has increased by at least 10,000 beds.
According to officials, the civic body has started the process of acquiring 80 per cent beds from private hospitals. These include 7,185 isolation beds, 2,415 isolation beds with oxygen facility and 384 ventilators for the treatment of people affected with Sars-Cov-2 virus which causes the Covid-19 (coronavirus) infection.
On May 21, the Maharashtra government issued an order to cap prices on beds and ventilators. The price regulation is for 80 per cent of beds for Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 patients on first come, first served basis. As per the data compiled by PMC, private hospitals have 8,982 isolation beds, 3,091 isolation beds with oxygen and 480 ventilators and the process to acquire these has begun.
Out of these, as of June 2, price regulation has been imposed on 3,674 operational beds. The civic body would get 1,981 wall oxygen supply beds and 2,385 beds without wall oxygen supply. In addition, the regulated prices mean 848 more oxygen cylinders, 536 ICU beds and 279 ventilators available for patient treatment at regulated prices.
Shekhar Gaikwad, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) commissioner, said, “The state government order is applicable to all private hospitals since the date of the order issued. We have also intimated to them about the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA), 2017, and we will ensure that private hospitals follow the capping of price on 80 per cent of beds through our health department.”
“We have also asked private hospitals to fill up information on dashboard on the number of isolation beds, ICU facility and ventilators,” said Gaikwad.
Dr Sunil Rao, group medical director, Sahyadri Hospital, said, “The notification says that 80 per cent of beds and ventilators will be charged as per the capped rate and prices should be displayed for transparency for patients. The beds will be allowed for both Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 patients so that their treatment is not hampered.”
“We have started admitting patients as per the new capped price on first come, first served basis,” he added.
The capped price range from Rs 4,000-Rs 9,000 for beds depending on the patient’s medical condition. As per the civic body’s projections, the city will fall short of ventilators and ICU by June-end if the estimated count of patients reaches around 22,000.
As per the civic body’s projection, the count is estimated to touch 22,940 cases as of June 30 and the number of active cases by June end would reach 9,743 which would lead to a shortfall of 162 ICU beds and 34 ventilators by the month-end.
As of June 2, the civic body has 61 Covid facilities, which have 15,512 isolation beds, 15,484 isolation beds without oxygen and 2,512 isolation beds with oxygen, 580 ICU beds and 288 ventilators.
