Health Minister K. Sudhakar said on Monday that strict directions have been given on the right of admission in hospitals to ensure bed availability to those in need.
“Not just anyone who tests positive, however influential, can be admitted. It has to be based on protocol announced by our clinical team only. Today, a lot of patients with mild symptoms are admitted and those who really need treatment are in trouble because of them. Also, in some cases where the RT-PCR result is negative but they have other COVID-19 symptoms, hospitals have been told to treat it as COVID-19 syndrome and take them for treatment under SAST,” he said.
He also added that 250 beds will be added in Victoria and Bowring hospitals within 10 days in addition to the makeshift hospitals with 2,500 to 3,000 beds planned equipped with ICU, high flow oxygen, and ventilators.
Apart from making it clear that those who recover or are discharged soon will be kept in step-down hospitals or CCCs to make the beds available for other patients, the nearly 90% home isolation patients will be given medical kits along with regular calls from the call centre everyday. To enhance the call centre, CII is pitching in, he said.
Ravi, HOD, Department of Medicine, BMC (Victoria), who also spoke, urged people not to panic if they test positive, saying only 10% need hospitalisation. “People are panicking thinking they all need oxygen, Remdesivir. Look out for saturation. If it is less than 94, it can still be improved at home,” he said.
