Odisha Govt Urges Hospitals Not to Deny Treatment to Patients on Suspicion of COVID Infection

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has issued general instruction for non-COVID hospitals in the State asking them not to deny healthcare services to patients on the ground of suspicion of COVID infection.

“It is our duty to provide immediate and proper treatment to all patients during COVID-19 pandemic. We urge all non-COVID hospitals to follow the general instructions mentioned below to save each life”, the Health and Family Welfare Department said.

Here are General Instructions for non-COVID hospital:

1. No patient shall be denied health care service and no life threatening emergency procedures/ treatment shall be deferred on the ground of suspicion of COVID infection.
2. Every facility shall establish a separate fever clinic at the hospital, away from the main working area.
3. Health care providers and support staff at the hospital shall use appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
4. Screen all patients, all SARI/ILI/suspected COVID-19 cases or persons and their attend ants entering the hospital.
5. Suspect of any COVID-19 case in Non- COVID Hospital/ Nursing Home must be notified to the District Surveillance Unit.
6. Establish isolation wards/ sections to admit patients with SARI/ILI/suspected COVID-19 cases or persons coming from Hotspot areas of the state or country.
7. Staff posted in the isolation wards shall not be deployed to the other sections of the hospital.
8. When a Positive case is detected in any unit of the hospital, the other patients in the toots must be shifted temporarily to another ward. The patients can be shifted back to the ward only after terminal sanitization.
9. COVID positive case shall be managed in isolation ward/ section till completion of treatment or referral to COVID hospital.
10. In case of patient referral, the receiving hospital must be intimated in advance.The referral record must contain details of clinical history including history of travel from or residency in Hotspot areas.
11. All hospitals (Government/Pvt/Corporate/ nursing homes) are to strictly follow the IPC guidelines issued from time to time by Government of Odisha and Government of India.