The State government has asked the private health sector in the State to go in for large-scale capacity building so as to help the State increase its health system capacity for COVID care. The government has also asked private hospitals to set aside a minimum of 25% beds exclusively for COVID care.
Giving the details of the discussions he had with representatives of the private health sector on Saturday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the private sector had assured the government of full cooperation in tackling the crisis. Private hospitals would give a report on the occupancy situation in hospital beds, ICUs, and ventilators on a daily basis to District Medical Officers (DMOs). The data would be put in the public domain and updated daily on the e-jagratha portal. The government has asked the private health sector to help out public sector hospitals with doctors, paramedical staff, and those with expertise in COVID critical care as and when a request is put up.
Ambulance services
Also, the ambulance services run by the Indian Medical Association, 108 ambulance network, and those of private hospitals would work in tandem. He asked the private hospitals to go by uniform treatment rates. However, they maintained that uniform rates across hospitals was not possible, as the facilities were different. Also, COVID care costed differed from patient to patient.
The government’s attempt is to provide free COVID care to maximum people through public hospitals and at fixed rates at private hospitals empanelled under the Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi (KASP). Hospitals would be reimbursed as per the KASP rates. At present, only 130 private hospitals were empanelled under the KASP and the government was asking more hospitals to participate. He assured the private sector that hospitals would be reimbursed COVID care charges within 15 days of patient’s discharge.
He also asked private hospitals not to neglect non-COVID care patients.
