HYDERABAD: The delay in COVID-19 testing is costing precious lives as the results take 48 hours instead of the usual six, thereby delaying admission and treatment, managements of about 12 private hospitals informed Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Tuesday. In a special interaction with them, the Governor took note of the hospitals’ concerns and asked them to cut down the delay in releasing the Covid-19 test results.
“Try to avoid delays in test results and begin the treatment for the needy as soon as possible. I am not saying this as the first citizen of the State but as a common citizen — the treatment must be cost-effective in this pandemic situation,” she said. The Governor stressed that everyone should work in harmony to overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic. She said there is a need to improve the infrastructure at the hospitals, particularly beds with oxygen lines and ventilators, as a surge in patients is likely.
“The hospitals must see to it that patients are not denied medical care. They should amp up infrastructure and set up 24x7 video-consultation and tele-medicine facilities,” she said. The hospitals pointed out that the government should set up some crucial infrastructure such as a common portal to track the availability of beds, a plasma donor bank, subsidised life-saving drugs like Remdesevir and insure medical practitioners. The Governor assured them that the issues would be taken up with the government and the plasma donor bank would be set up at the earliest.