To tide over the shortage of beds for COVID patients, the district administration has given its nod to private hospitals to have tie-up with hotels for utilisation of the rooms.
The move has assumed significance in the backdrop of government and private hospitals in Tiruchi and its surrounding stretching their capacities beyond the maximum to accommodate patients testing positive for COVID-19 infections.
As per the move, the private hospitals can identify hotels, which have good infrastructure to accommodate the patients, and approach the health officials for permission. The officials will in turn visit the hotels to check the facilities so as to accord permission.
“We do not have any issues with the private hospitals extending treatment to patients in hotels. Considering the medical emergency, we will accord hassle-free clearance as early as possible,” says S. Ram Ganesh, Deputy Director of Health Services, Tiruchi.
He said that the State government had given permission to open hotels and lodges for medical purposes. Several hotels had good infrastructure to provide medical care. Hence, there would be no hesitation in permitting private hospitals to use the facilities for medical emergencies. A leading private hospital had been given permission to use a hotel at Chathiram Bus Stand to accommodate patients.
Dr. Ganesh said that a few more hospitals in the city had also expressed their wiliness to rope in the services of hotels. “The idea is to make available beds to shift patients, who show good improvement. It will also enable the hospitals to use their beds for accommodating fresh cases,” he said.
The Deputy Director said that all hospitals in the district had been asked to earmark 50% of beds for treating COVID-19 patients. Twenty two hospitals in the district had so far been given permission to treat COVID-19 patients. It has also been decided to bring all hospitals, except maternity and child welfare, under the ambit of treating COVID patients. However, they should have all infrastructure for treating these patients, he added.
