Hassan Deputy Commissioner R. Girish has instructed private hospitals and nursing homes to reserve 50% of beds for COVID-19 patients, as the number of cases is on the rise. He held a meeting with representatives of the Indian Medical Association, private hospitals and nursing homes in Hassan on Friday.
In the first phase of the pandemic, the DC said, the district administration did not receive a good response from the private health firms. “There is a chance of 300 fresh cases reporting a day in the next 15 days. If the private hospitals do not join hands with the administration to combat the pandemic, the administration would take strict action”, he warned.
He also told the private hospitals to serve the public at the time of crisis with humanity, keeping aside the profit-making agenda. “The government has brought COVID-19 under the purview of disaster management act and hence, the private hospitals have to earmark 50% of beds for the patients and provide them treatment as per the government’s price chart”, he said.
IMA’s Hassan chapter president Ramesh said the government should provide security for the staff in private hospitals. The government should also provide insurance to families of two private doctors, who died of COVID-19, in Hassan. The DC said that he would look into the demands.
District Health Officer K.M. Sathish Kumar said the Health Department would conduct RTPCR tests for patients and their caretakers visiting private hospitals. The private institutes had to cooperate with the government to collect the samples by providing a designated place. He also asked them to report the death of COVID-19 patients, if any, to the district administration immediately.
Private Hospitals Association president Abdul Basheer and others were present.
