Private hospitals not designated as Covid-19 treatment centres can treat such patients if they follow guidelines laid down by the Indian Council of Medical Research, Bengal’s chief secretary Rajiva Sinha said on Tuesday.

State government sources said an advisory on this would be sent to private hospitals.

“If a private hospital has the necessary facilities and enough beds to treat Covid-19 patients, it can. If someone can pay and get treated at a private hospital, why should he or she go to a government facility like MR Bangur Hospital?” Sinha said.

There were no clear guidelines about whether private hospitals not reserved for Covid-19 patients can treat people with coronavirus infection. But many such hospitals have Covid-19 patients in their isolation units.

The state government has requisitioned nearly 70 private hospitals across Bengal to treat Covid-19 patients.

To get admitted there, one has to be referred by the state government. So, there is an increasing demand among people suffering from Covid-19 symptoms such as fever, cough and severe acute respiratory infection to get admitted at any of the private hospitals not reserved for coronavirus patients.

The Telegraph has reported that private hospitals in Calcutta are being flooded with such requests but the isolation units in most of them are full.

One private hospital has kept its isolation beds for patients who come for other treatments but test positive for Covid-19.

“If we increase the number of beds for Covid-19 patients and those with symptoms, how can we treat other patients?” the CEO of a private hospital asked.

An official of another hospital said patients were calling them up and asking whether any Covid-19 patient was being treated there. “When we are saying ‘yes’, they are cancelling admission,” said the official.

Refusal

The state government will issue an advisory to private hospitals and nursing homes urging them to ensure that people are not refused treatment, chief secretary Sinha said on Tuesday.

“We will issue an advisory to the private hospitals….The private hospitals have to be more energetic as many patients are returning without treatment. People are fac- ing problem. Please see that this does not happen,” said Sinha.