Bhubaneswar: With an endeavor to provide more and more Covid-19 health facilities in the state, the Odisha Government has decided to allow private hospitals of the state having more than 30 beds to set up Covid-19 units. The Government has also formulated and issued the guidelines for provisioning of the Covid-19 units. The Guidelines are to be followed strictly forthwith by the Private Hospitals registered under Odisha Clinical Establishment (Control & Regulation) Act 1990 and the Amendments there under having 30 beds or more.
The notification issued by the Health And Family Welfare Department today reads “looking to the present scenario of positive case detection, the state will need more number of Dedicated Covid Health Center and Dedicated Covid Hospitals. It is observed that the private hospitals are treating the non-Covid cases, but when they find such patients to be Covid-19 positive during the process of treatment they immediately request the Government machinery to shift the case to a Covid facility, setup by Government. It eventually caused a large surge of patients in such Covid facilities. Hence in view of the above and in exercise of power conferred under Section 2 (1) of the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 (Act No. 3 of 1897) Government after careful examination has pleased to formulate the following guidelines to be followed strictly forthwith by the Private Hospitals registered under Odisha Clinical Establishment (Control & Regulation) Act 1990 and the Amendments there under having 30 beds or more. ”
Guidelines To Be Followed Strictly By Private Hospitals:
1. All asymptomatic or mild cases shall be sent to institutional quarantine / home isolation or any paid CCC run by the private hospital.
2. All the private hospitals having 30 beds or more shall designate minimum of 10% of all beds to be reserved for the Covid Patients with an option to convert the entire hospital as a COVID hospital. However, they have to intimate the Collectors and DM of the District concerned and the State Level Authorised Officer for data updating. They have to appoint one Authorised Medical Officer who will coordinate with state authorities.
3. Such reserved beds must include appropriate numbers of ICU beds with ventilators dedicated for Covid patients. (At the rate of 10% of all available beds).
4. There must be a separate fever clinic and facility for isolation of suspected cases. When the suspected cases come out to be positive they shall be shifted to the Covid beds provided the patient wants to take the services of hospital on payment of fees.
5. Only those patients who want to pay on their own or covered under their own insurance shall be treated in the hospital. No reimbursement or payment of any kind towards treatment of such patient will be made by the Govt.
6. The hospital must provide all possible treatment as per the guidelines for management of Covid-19 patients issued by Ministry of Health, Government of India from time to time. As the Covid patients are usually with high anxiety level they must always be handled very gently and proper and regular counseling shall be done regarding the status of disease and the outcome of treatment.
7. Adequate number of the consumables like Oxygen, PPEs, Sanitizers, etc must be made available .
8. The Infection Prevention & Control measures must be taken as per Govt. of India guidelines so that the infection never spreads to the other non-Covid patients.
9. The staff managing the Covid patients shall take utmost care and preventive measures so that they themselves do not contract the disease. They shall work for 14 days and shall go for quarantine for another 14 days after which they can again come back to patient duty.
10. All the tests must be done at the approved rate notified by Government.
11. Newer drug shall be rationally and judiciously prescribed and used.
12. Hospital shall charge reasonable fees from patient and refrain from collecting exorbitant fees, failing which strict action will be taken against the hospital.
The prescribed fees shall be as under:
Besides where additional procedures are required for the medical or surgical emergencies during the treatment for Covid-19 infection, the procedural costs as per the BSKY package may be charged.
13. The discharge policy of the state shall be strictly followed. The patients or the dead body shall not be detained for nonpayment of fees.
14. The institution shall develop mechanism for collection of bill amount on a day to day basis so that a lump sum amount never remains pending.
15. Dead body disposal shall be done strictly as per the Government India / State Government guidelines.
16. All patients’ data shall be uploaded in the designated portal or social media group in the appropriate format.
17. All guidelines related to Covid-19 issued by Government of India or State Government shall be followed scrupulously.
18. The hospital shall regularly share all information to the Govt. regarding availability of facility, patient information, line of treatment, availability of beds, price charged etc.
19. The hospital shall provide the COVID-19 test result to the patient.
20. The hospital shall allow one willing attendant of the patient to remain in the earmarked place in the hospital premise while ensuring prevention of cross infection.
21. The hospital shall create a help desk accessible physically and telephonically for counseling to relatives of patients and share information on status of health to attendant of the patient regularly.
22. Hospital shall put CCTV in the patient treatment area for management, facilitation and screening of footage by appropriate authority as and when required.