HYDERABAD: Hours before the Telangana High Court quashed the orders of the Chief Secretary restricting the entry of Covid-19 patients from other States, Director of Public Health Dr G Srinivasa Rao defended the State government’s move by stating that it brought in to save the lives of the people coming to the State for treatment.
“This move has been brought to ensure that people of other States have a reserved bed in Hyderabad. We are seeing many cases where they are left hunting for beds after entering Telangana and then dying in ambulances. Not only is their lives lost, but the infection spreads faster. We just want to bring a system in place,” said Dr GS Rao. He further said that a whopping 45 per cent of beds in Telangana hospitals are occupied by patients from Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and other States.
“At present, we have 53,000 beds, of which 28,000 are occupied. 45 per cent of the occupied beds are patients from other States. To regulate and get a clearer picture, we have to put this system in place,” he said.The move has drawn sharp criticism from all quarters. However, the DPH says: “Until now, Telangana has never asked for a negative RT-PCR report or put in any system of e-pass like other States have. However, now the situation is critical and resources are few, which is why this has been done.”
He also stressed on the Centre’s role in the issue. “We are treating Covid patients from other States while handling our own. But the Centre is giving us resources based on our own caseload and not taking into account the caseload from other States that our hospitals are handling. We are just hand-to-mouth in terms of oxygen, Remdesivir and other drugs,” he admitted. The DPH also revealed that since Friday morning, only five patients were given permission to enter the State, whereas over 20+ ambulances were seen at the border.