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Admit patients without asking for Covid-free certificate: Bengal govt to private hospitals
Private hospital authorities fear that in many institutions the pandemic may spread among healthcare staff and patients, who have been unscathed to date.
West Bengal recorded 17 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) related deaths between Friday and Sunday – the highest toll in 72 hours in the state – as a worried state government ordered all private hospitals and clinics to admit all patients without seeking certificates showing that they have not contracted SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease, or face strict penal action.
Private hospital authorities fear that in many institutions the pandemic may spread among healthcare staff and patients, who have been unscathed to date. In some private hospitals, doctors and paramedical staff have been affected while treating Covid-19 patients. One such private hospital in Kolkata’s Salt Lake area was shut down in April.
The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government’s 30-page order was issued on Friday – the day eight people died, according to the state’s medical bulletin that made an exception to record the toll “in the last 24 hours”.
However, Friday’s bulletin was released on the following day and bunched with Saturday’s bulletin that declared seven more deaths “in the last 24 hours”. Two more Covid-19 related deaths were reported on Sunday. The total toll since the outbreak was reported in the state stood at 50 till Sunday night.
“There are reports that patients in need of regular critical care related to blood transfusion, dialysis, chemotherapy, obstetric care, institutional deliveries, immunisation etc; are facing hardship due to private hospitals/healthcare facilities that are either non-functional or refusing patients out of fear of contracting Covid-19. Some hospitals are insisting on Covid-free certificates before admitting the patients,” said the order.
The order said that normalcy needs to be restored in healthcare services in a “planned manner,” giving “highest priority” to the safety of healthcare staff complying with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines and providing them with personal protective equipment (PPE) kits.“Failure to adhere to these guidelines shall be viewed adversely and shall make the healthcare facilities liable for penal action under the West Bengal Clinical Establishments Act,” the order said.
The TMC government amended the West Bengal Clinical Establishments Act in 2017 and introduced new regulations for private hospitals after some allegations surfaced regarding wrong treatment leading to deaths.
Bengal has 67 Covid-19 hospitals and 16 test centres, of which some are run by private institutions. Two doctors, including a senior state health department official, have died of Covid-19 so far. “The number of doctors, nurses and other paramedical staff infected till April 30 is over 100,” said Dr. Koushik Chaki, secretary, West Bengal Doctors’Forum, which raised the issue with the government on April 28.
“We’ve to bear in mind that over 60% of patients worldwide have been asymptomatic,” said Dr. Chaki.
Doctors at some of the biggest private hospitals in Kolkata told HT that indiscriminate admission could lead to a spike in Covid-19 positive cases, as asymptomatic patients may get admitted.
The management at AMRI Hospitals, a well-known chain treating Covid-19 patients, has decided to route all patients through its emergency departments and conduct mandatory tests on them. The state’s first Covid-19 related death was recorded at AMRI’s Salt Lake unit.
“Covid-19 tests are being conducted on each and every patient. All doctors and paramedical staff are using PPEs during procedures. If a person tests Covid-19 positive, then all those who attended on that patient will be tested and made to go through the drill,” said Dr. Kalyan Kar, head of surgery at AMRI’s Mukundapur unit.
“We’re carrying out operations, even on critical patients, on a regular basis. We’ve decided to increase beds for Covid-19 patients, though we’re yet to receive one yet,” said a spokesperson for CMRI Hospital of the CK Birla Hospitals group.
The state government’s Friday order comes amid doctors, working for well-known private hospitals, have had to take a pay cut because of the additional expenditures incurred by the authorities on the procurement of PPE kits, sanitisation drive, and poor footfall of patients during the nationwide lockdown restrictions.
“We’re risking our lives and also facing salary cuts. Some of the top doctors have been asked to accept a 50% cut, while for junior doctors the reduction in pay is lower,” said a doctor working for a well-known group.
“We’re spending over Rs 60 lakh a month on PPE kits. The government only supplies PPEs to our Salt Lake unit, where Covid-19 patients are being treated. The expenses are bound to go up in the coming days,” said an official at AMRI Hospitals.
