Published on April 20, 2020
AHMEDABAD: On Monday, the state government announced permission to three private hospitals in Ahmedabad to admit and treat Covid-19 positive patients. These hospitals include HCG, Sterling Hospital and Narayana Multispecialty Hospital.
Jayanti Ravi, principal secretary (health & family welfare), said that the patients have choice if they wish to get admitted in these hospitals on their own expense. The state government is already providing free treatment to all Covid-19 patients in state and local civic authorities-run hospitals including special Covid-19 hospitals, she said.
The hospitals would follow treatment protocols and would also share details of the patients,” she said.
With rise in Covid-19 positive cases in Gujarat, the health infrastructure is under duress, said sources, and the move is aimed at shifting some of the patients to privately-run facilities. The 1200-bed Covid-19 hospital at Civil Hospital has occupancy of over 600 as on Monday morning as the city is recording over 100 cases daily for past four days. Apart from Civil Hospital, the treatment facility is also created at Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation- run SVP Hospital.
On Monday, Gujarat added 108 new cases, taking the total tally to 1851. Likewise, the state’s death toll reached to 67 with four more deaths – two each from Ahmedabad and Surat.
Ahmedabad led the tally with 91 or 84% of the total cases. Ravi said that the other cases have been reported from Aravalli (6), Kutch, Panchmahal, Rajkot, Surat (2 each) and Mahisagar, Vadodara, Mehsana (1 each).
Ravi said that they are shifting asymptomatic patients to the Covid-19 care centre where they don’t need medical staff but there’s an ambulance on call round the clock so that they can be shifted to hospitals if needed.
“About 80% of the patients don’t need continuous medical care. In Ahmedabad, the Samras Hostel is converted into such facility where there is adequate space. Work to set up such facilities in other places was initiated three weeks ago in other districts,” she said.
On Sunday, three doctors in private practice were admitted to the SVP Hospital after they tested positive. The doctors protested against keeping them with the symptomatic patients and the issue went to Ahmedabad Medical Association (AMA). Dr Mona Desai, president of AMA, confirmed the news and said that they made representation to the state government authorities.
“The authorities have assured us all support. The doctors had voluntarily gone for testing as their patients had tested positive. Our issue is not about the government hospitals but the protocols to be followed. We have suggested them to identify a facility in private hospital to instil confidence among doctors who are frontline warriors in fight against Covid-19,” she said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/gujarat-allows-three-private-hospitals-to-admit-covid-19-patients-in-ahmedabad/articleshow/75249905.cms
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