CHANDIGARH: Amid rising COVID-19 cases, the Punjab Health Department on Saturday asked private hospitals to defer elective surgeries till April 30 to meet increasing demand for beds.
In a virtual meeting with representatives of private hospitals, Punjab Principal Secretary Health and Family Welfare Hussan Lal also directed them to charge government-fixed rates for the treatment of coronavirus patients.
There are 213 private hospitals on board for COVID-19 treatment in the state at present and the government has provided 230 ventilators to these hospitals which should be used optimally, he stated.
The principal secretary expressed concern about the rising number of fatalities, especially while shifting the patients from level-2 to level-3 facilities and advised that referral should be made in time, according to an official statement.
Lal said more than 20,000 doses of antiviral drug Remdesivir have been provided to the government and private hospitals.
He urged private hospitals to set up COVID vaccination centres.
The principal secretary reiterated that oxygen demand and supply must be communicated to the civil surgeon of the district so that in case of any additional requirement, it could be made available from the appropriate source well in time.
Meanwhile, Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said the health department is conducting a massive vaccination drive at more than 2,500 centres in Punjab.
Sidhu said the Centre will send fresh batches of four lakh doses by Sunday after Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh informed it about the shortage of vaccine.