Odisha Govt Directs Private Hospitals To Keep 50% Of Beds For COVID-19 Patients

Bhubaneswar: The state government on Thursday directed the private hospitals having facility for 30 beds or more to ensure provision of minimum 50% of available General beds and 50% of ICU/HDU beds for treatment of COVID-19 patients.

In a letter to all district collectors and CDM & PHO on the direction of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, additional chief secretary, Health and Family Welfare department PK Mohapatra has stated that it is observed that the private hospitals are treating the non-Covid cases, but when they find such patients to be COVID-19 positive during the treatment, they immediately request the government machinery to shift the case to a government Covid facility.

“It is also observed that the private hospitals are not admitting the Covid positive patients with a plea that they do not have Covid beds. Many private hospitals have designated very few beds for Covid patients and kept the rest for non-Covid patients. This has resulted in increased load on Government Covid facilities,” Mohapatra said.

Keeping this in view, the private hospitals having facility for 30 beds or more and registered under Odisha Clinical Establishment (Control & Regulation) Act 1990 are directed to ensure provision of minimum of 50% of available General beds and 50% of ICU/HDU beds for treatment of Covid patients and to follow the guidelines stipulated in earlier letters /instructions/Notifications /Resolutions issued by the government, the letter stated.

The government further directed that the hospitals may go upto 100% of available beds as and when need arises. They should refrain from referring the patients to other hospitals when such cases are detected positive.

The hospitals have to intimate the collectors and district magistrate of the district concerned and the state level authorised officer on provision of beds for COVID-19 treatment. They have to appoint one authorised medical officer who will coordinate with state authorities.

The letter has also prescribed the fees to be charged to the COVID-19 patients. It has fixed consolidated cost per patient per day for General beds at Rs 1750, Rs 8,00 (non-NABH) and Rs 12,000 (NABH) for ICU beds and Rs 10,000 (non-NABH) and Rs 13,000 (NABH) for ICU with ventilator.