PUDUCHERRY: In view of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the Union Territory, Venkateswara Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, a private medical college here has been taken over by the Government for extending COVID-19 treatment and all other private medical colleges have been ordered to admit COVID patients without refusal and extend treatment as per ICMR guidelines.
In a late evening order, the hospital was declared a designated COVID hospital by the District Magistrate T Arun by exercising his powers under the Epidemic Act, 1897 and Disaster Management Act, 2005 and was attached to the Director of Health and Family Welfare services.
All the beds in the hospital will be utilized for treating COVID-19 patients, said the DM in the order.
Further, the hospital is attached to the Director of Health and Family Welfare services and admission to the hospital will be made as per their directions. The DM stated that there have been reports that on several occasions the hospital has been denying admission of COVID-19 patients recommended by the government.
In another order, the DM stated that all private medical colleges would accept COVID-19 patients up to the number they had earlier agreed upon during an August 11 meeting conducted in his chamber.
The admission to COVID-19 patients recommended by Primary Health centres, Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute (IGMCRI) and JIPMER cannot be refused under any circumstances. It was also stated that the treatment of COVID patients will have to be done as per ICMR guidelines and not unnecessarily returned or referred to IGMCRI.
The District Magistrate warned that any violation of the orders is punishable under the provisions of Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the Epidemic act.
So far, all the six private medical colleges put together have been admitting around 500 COVID patients in its COVID care centres.
The order was passed by the DM on the directions of the Lt Governor Kiran Bedi who had insisted that private medical colleges play a similar role as done by government COVID hospitals in treating patients infected by the virus.
She had also sought the intervention of the Prime minister and the Home Minister for a direction to the government in this regard.