Those who test positive for COVID-19 in the State can seek treatment in private hospitals if they prefer and there is no need for a special directive in this regard as the government has already reached an understanding with the private hospitals, Health Minister K.K. Shylaja and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reiterated on Saturday.However, private hospital managements cannot take the responsibility of COVID-19 care without the government issuing clear directives on what category of patients may be admitted, the reporting formats and the standard operating procedures, chairman of the IMA (Indian Medical Association) Hospital Board of India A.V. Jayakrishnan said.
“COVID-19 care is a major responsibility and unless the government issues formal orders and clearly states the procedures that hospitals have to follow when admitting patients, no private hospital would be willing to provide care. It should be remembered that none of the private hospitals in the State have treated COVID-19 patients before. There could be patients with serious ailments and this responsibility cannot be handled without clear-cut protocols,” Dr. Jayakrishnan said.
Govt. to monitor
Earlier in the day, the Health Minister had maintained that there was no bar on private hospitals now in treating COVID-19 patients but the government would monitor the treatment to ensure that treatment protocols were being followed.
During the discussion with private hospitals, the government had stated that it would appoint nodal officers in every district to coordinate the patient care in private hospitals and that a clear reporting format would be drawn up.
However, apart from announcing the treatment rates, the operational part of the order for private hospitals has not materialised. “The government is now admitting only Category B and C patients in COVID-19 hospitals, while mild and asymptomatic cases are maintained in first-line treatment centres. We need clarity on whether we are also expected to admit only moderate and severe cases. Most people with mild disease would opt for private sector hospital for the better facilities provided,” Dr. Jayakrishnan said.
Treatment rates
Though the government had announced COVID-19 treatment package rates under Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhati, many private hospitals have pointed out that the State Health Agency has till date not cleared any of the KASP proposals. Most private hospitals are wary about COVID-19 care under KASP burdening them with unpaid bills since the SHA does not seem to have additional funds at its disposal. But during the pandemic, none will be denied care, they have maintained.A major private hospital in Kochi had informed the government about their COVID-19 care plan but they had been told not to admit patients till the government facilities in Ernakulam reached a saturation point.
On home isolation
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister said that though it had received expert opinion that mild or asymptomatic patients may be allowed to isolate within their homes with stipulations, the government did not intend to put it into practice unless the case numbers became unmanageable.
