Odisha Govt Urges Private Hospitals to Bear COVID-19 Treatment Cost of Healthcare Workers

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has urged the private hospitals to bear the cost of treatment of healthcare workers who get infected with COVID-19 in line of duty.

In an order, the Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET) said that the healthcare workers are not only at higher risk of infection but can also amplify outbreaks within health care facilities if they get infected. This bestows a high-level personal responsibility and accountability. The promoter and/or the management of private hospitals also owe responsibility for implementation of the infection prevention and control measures, the DMET said.

The DMET also asked the private hospitals to ensure training of their employees on infection prevention and control measures (IPC) within seven days and “submit a certificate that all their staff are trained in and are following the prescribed IPC required during the pandemic.”

The order came after 27 healthcare workers of a private hospital in the State capital and staff of a premier cancer research hospital in Cuttack was tested positive for the COVID-19.

The DMET asked all the hospitals to set up dedicated fever clinics and reserve an isolated area for management of suspected/confirmed Covid-19 patients.

The hospitals can’t transfer Covid patients to dedicated Covid hospitals without stabilizing them. “Referral and transfer shall be done only with intimation and confirmation from the referred hospitals,” DMET said.