The Department of Health and Family Welfare in Mysuru on Thursday asked the managements of private hospitals in the district to stringently comply with clinical procedures on dengue and other vector-borne diseases and warned of action if they deviate from the protocol.
The Health Department had received complaints that some private hospitals had been creating “panic” over dengue scare and reportedly forcing patients to undergo treatment even when the case was not officially confirmed as dengue.
In this connection, District Health Officer Dr. Basavaraj met the representatives of over 30 private hospitals and directed them to follow the guidelines as defined by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, on dengue.
“In the name of dengue, patients should not be forced to undergo pricey treatment. Exploitation of patients and their family members should not happen. Moreover, the private hospitals are not empowered to confirm dengue. When this is the case, how can they validate the cases without the department’s consent,” Dr. Basavaraj told The Hindu.
Senior officials from the Health Department were present.
The hospital managements have agreed to comply with the protocol, according to the DHO.
Dr. Basavaraj said Elisa test was a must to diagnose dengue and it is done at the district laboratory which is fully equipped to conduct confirmatory tests on vector-borne diseases.
“With NS-1 antigen test, the private hospitals have been declaring dengue cases, which is wrong,” he said. Denying that the number of fever cases had gone up substantially at private hospitals here, he said the department has been on alert and the surveillance teams were visiting hospitals daily on getting the information.
“I will verify the information from the hospitals once again,” he said.
When asked what action will be taken if private hospitals deviate from the protocol on dengue despite the warning, he said showcause notices will be served on the erring hospitals seeking explanation on why action cannot be taken against them. “We can straight away act against them under the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments Rules,” he replied.
