HYDERABAD: Private hospitals in the city have started providing advice over phone to anyone showing symptoms of Coronavirus and is looking to get their fears quelled with expert advise. The service is provided free of cost. However, the Telangana government has still not announced its plan to put a cap on the price charged by private hospitals that treat Covid patients.
Additionally, the private hospitals would also have to abide by a stringent set of rules and regulations as outlined by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). On the other hand, while many have started approaching private hospitals for isolation and quarantine facilities after Health Minister Eatala Rajender said they would allow them to treat Covid patients, private hospitals are unable to admit patients citing protocols put in place by the State.
The guideline by the ICMR reads, “It shall be mandatory for all hospitals (government and private), medical officers in government health institutions and registered private medical practitioners, including AYUSH practitioners, to notify such person(s) with Covid to concerned district surveillance units. All practitioners shall also get the self-declaration forms who, within their knowledge, are having travel history to Covid-affected countries as per the extant guidelines and are falling under the case definition of Covid (suspect/case). In case the person has any such history in the last 14 days and is symptomatic as per the case definition of Covid, the person must be isolated in the hospital and will be tested for Covid as per protocol. Information of all such cases should be given to the State helpline number.”
An official from CARE Hospital said, “While we are equipped to tackle Covid cases, we have been explicitly told to inform the Director of Medical Education if any person arrives at the hospital with Covid-like symptoms and/or has a travel history to Covid-affected countries. We have to immediately send them to Gandhi Hospital. If the patient requests and the State government allows us, we will start treating the patients accordingly”. Meanwhile, Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences has stopped and postponed all their elective surgeries till March 25.