The fire accident at the Hotel Swarna Palace, turned into an extension of city’s Ramesh Hospitals for COVID treatment, has brought to the fore the risks in using hotels for treating patients.
Currently, at least 15 hospitals in the district have taken permissions to have extended treatment facilities in hotels and four of them have already started operations. Only patients with mild symptoms or with no symptoms are being treated at the extension facilities.
All four hospitals, including Ramesh Hospitals, were treating nearly 150 patients at the facilities, according to District Collector A.Md. Imtiaz.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Imtiaz said that Ramesh Hospitals had been permitted to treat asymptomatic patients at Hotel Swarna Palace and that there were 31 patients at the time of the incident.
“The idea of permitting private hospitals to provide COVID care is to make more options available for the public who could afford treatment. It is the responsibility of the hospital to protect patients getting treatment in an extended facility,” Mr. Imtiaz said.
At present, 13 hospitals, including seven private hospitals, are designated as COVID-19 hospitals in the district.
The private hospitals are Liberty Hospitals, Ramesh Hospitals, Andhra Hospitals, Kamineni Hospital, Indobritish Hospital and Anu Hospitals, according to the Health Department. A few more hospitals have also acquired permissions for extended treatment facilities.
