‘Hosps can’t ask for Covid-19 test before treating anyone’
Bhubaneswar: Hospitals cannot insist on Covid-19 test to provide services to patients or deny critical care to seriously ill people, the state health department has said after taking strong exception to reports of some private establishments resorting to this practice.
The government’s order comes in the wake of allegations of the deaths of at least two patients during the lockdown after hospitals denied them treatment. “It is noticed that in many places hospitals/clinics are insisting on a Covid-19 test before providing services. This is not acceptable,” an order issued by director of health services (DHS) Bijay Mohapatra said on Friday.
The DHS pointed out that some private hospitals were hesitant about providing critical services such as dialysis, blood transfusion, chemotherapy and institutional deliveries to regular patients for fear of spread of Covid-19. The order directs hospitals to remain open and ensure that such critical services are not denied to anyone.
The government also asked non-Covid hospitals to accommodate critically ill suspected Covid-19 patients until their condition stabilised and they could be moved to hospitals dedicated to treatment of coronavirus. “Non-compliance will be viewed seriously and action, including cancellation of the registration of the defaulter hospital/nursing home, will be initiated without further notice,” the DHS said.
On Saturday, a petition was filed with the Odisha Human Rights Commission, alleging that a 61-year-old man, Rabindra Nayak, was denied treatment for chest pain by two hospitals in Bhubaneswar. He died on Thursday.
The Orissa high court had on Wednesday ordered a probe into the death of another man, Sayad Abdul Hasan, in Cuttack district on April 10 after he was allegedly denied dialysis by a private hospital in Cuttack the same day because he did not have a Covid-19 test certificate.
The government’s move evoked a mixed reaction among doctors and hospital administrators. Ghanashyam Biswas, a Bhubaneswar-based oncologist, said there had to be a balance between providing emergency services and safeguarding hospital staff. “For emergency care, doctors have to take a risk but with precautions. For elective procedures, however, especially where chances of blood spillage is more, Covid-19 tests should be done. Such procedures may lead to more complications in (undetected) Covid-19 patients, besides putting the entire team of doctors and paramedics at risk,” he said.
Premananda Pattnaik, head of surgical gastroenterology in SUM hospital Bhubaneswar, said, “We are coming across a lot of asymptomatic Covid-19 patients. In these patients, if we do surgery without Covid-19 test, the entire OT staff and doctors will get infected. They will then subsequently transmit the infection to other patients. It will just accelerate transmission in the community, which should be avoided.”
“Covid-19 test should be made as routine as a blood test before any surgery for benefit of healthcare workers, doctors and patients. But emergency service must not be denied to any patient,” he added.
Sudhir M Diggikar, chief operating officer of Apollo Hospitals, said, “We are following all guidelines issued by the state, the Centre and the Indian Council of Medical Research. We have taken measures to ensure that non-Covid emergencies are taken care of.”
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