Can’t refuse admission to Covid-19 patients: Bengal govt to pvt hospitals

The Bengal government told private hospitals that patients cannot be asked to pay for PPE kits for unreasonable number of hospital staff.

Private hospitals can neither refuse admission and treatment to Covid-19 patients nor can they prescribe tests for asymptomatic people, the Trinamool Congress government told representatives of 33 private institutions at a meeting on Thursday.

West Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha said it was not acceptable there are complaints running from one hospital to another despite 80 per cent of beds meant for Covid-19 patients lying vacant. (ANI)

Cost of tests have to be rational and uniform as well, said chief secretary Rajiva Sinha, pointing out that some laboratories were charging ₹2,800 while others were taking ₹4,500.

“Around 10,000 beds in private and government hospitals across the state are earmarked for Covid-19 patients and 80 per cent of these are lying vacant. Yet, we receive complaints that patients are running from one hospital to another. This cannot be allowed,” Sinha said after meeting officials of the private institutions.

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This was the second time the state told private hospitals that admission cannot be refused to patients. On May 1, the government issued a 30-page order, asking 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.

The chief secretary also said it was unfair for private hospitals to charge patients for PPE kits for a large number of staffers.

“In some private hospitals, patients are being charged for PPE kits used by as many as seven staff members. Hospitals should bear most of this cost and charge patients only a part of it because the economic slowdown has affected all,” said Sinha.

He also cautioned hospitals against delaying treatment till arrival of Covid-19 test reports.

“We have also heard that private hospitals are not starting treatment till arrival of Covid-19 test reports. In some critical cases this may be necessary but the pretext cannot be used left, right and centre,” the chief secretary said. “Also, private doctors cannot prescribe tests for asymptomatic patients,” he added.

“It was a fruitful and frank discussion and the points raised by the government are very reasonable. We are extremely happy. As far as charging patients for PPE kits is concerned, hospitals have to be reasonable,” Dr Alok Roy, chairman of Medical group of hospitals, told HT.

“We have already increased the number of beds to more than 100,” said a spokesperson of AMRI Hospitals. Bengal’s first Covid-19 death was reported at the group’s Salt Lake unit.

“We are ahead of Covid-19 in this war and there should not be any distinction between private and government hospitals. We had to hold the meeting as we were receiving various complaints,” said Sinha.

Salary cuts for doctors that have become an issue amid the pandemic was also a topic of discussion at the meeting.

“We have been raising the issue of salary cuts since June 1. We welcome the government’s decision although it may pose a problem for small clinical establishments with limited resources and staff,” said an office bearer of the West Bengal Doctors Forum who did not wish to be quoted.

“Occupancy in hospitals will go down once patients start living in ‘safe homes’ and corporate houses set up satellite health facilities as prescribed by the state government. We will upload on the health department’s website the status of vacant beds in state hospitals. The figures for private hospitals will be uploaded from Friday,” Sinha said.

Incidentally, at several 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. Another 400-bed hospital in south Kolkata had to be shut down for two weeks in May.