UP government revises COVID-19 patients admission policy
The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday revised its order enabling admission of COVID-19 patients in private hospitals with the referral of the Integrated COVID-19 Command Center (ICCC). According to the rules, only the patients referred by ICCC are admitted to private hospitals, leading to a huge rush at the center for referral letters, drawing criticism on social media and by the opposition.
Test reports enough for admission to private hospitals
In a directive, Additional Chief Secretary (Medical and Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said, "Now COVID-19 patients can be admitted to private hospitals on the basis of their test reports." Private hospitals will have to report about the admitted cases immediately on the state government's portal. The hospitals will have to reserve ten percent of the beds for ICCC referred patients.
Current system, reportedly, was not being effectively implemented
According to the arrangement so far, cases of infection are received in the ICCC from where doctors interact with the patients and it is decided which patients need to be admitted to the COVID-19 hospitals and who are to be sent to home isolation. Due to the high cases of infection, this system is reportedly not being implemented in a very effective way.
Priyanka Gandhi had demanded abolition of need for referral letters
The process of admission of COVID-19 infected patients in government hospitals, state medical colleges, and private medical colleges will be done through the command center itself. Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had in a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath demanded the abolition of the need for referral letters for infected patients from ICCC located in the Chief Medical Officer's Office.
Government had faced backlash on social media as well
According to the new system, no referral letter will be needed for patients who are eligible for hospitalization, if they wish to be admitted to a private COVID-19 hospital. Several people had on social media criticized the government over the practice of referral letters of admission. Uttar Pradesh till yesterday had reported over 953K coronavirus cases and 10,346 deaths.
