Telangana government to rope in private hospitals for Covid treatment in districts

Ranga Reddy: While Telangana State health department has already opened gates for private hospitals to conduct tests and treat the disease in GHMC area and few hospitals in other districts earlier as the Covid pandemic is increasingly on the rage at an alarming speed ever since the lockdown was relaxed, now the government is ready to allow private hospitals to start treating in other districts of State as well.

A total of 61 government hospitals are presently treating the Covid patients across the State whereas a total of 55 private hospitals are treating Covid patients at present in which 43 hospitals are in GHMC area, 1 hospital in each Karimnagar and Khammam,3 in Medchal district,2 in Warangal urban and 5 in Ranga Reddy district.

People are preferring private hospitals over government hospitals as there are no proper facilities and lack medical staff in government hospitals. While government has announced 7,000 posts for doctor posts, a total of 2,200 posts are still empty. According to officials there are 30,000 beds available for Covid patients. In order to take care of the patients 20,000 nurses are required but, only 4,473 nurses are available.

To make private medicare services not very expensive, the government issued orders putting a ceiling on prices to conduct coronavirus diagnostic tests at private laboratories and costs to treat positive patients at corporate hospitals in Hyderabad however, these charges do not include the cost of antiviral drugs that the private hospital will administer to the Covid patients.

Private labs will charge Rs 2,200 to conduct a coronavirus test in Hyderabad. Corporate hospitals have to charge Rs 4,000 per day for isolation facilities from mild Covid positive patients, Rs 7,500 per day from positive patients who need Intensive Care Unit (ICU) facilities but, not ventilator support and Rs 9,000 per day from critical Covid positive patients who need both ICU and ventilator support.

Previously, government did not grant permission to the private hospitals to treat Covid patients. Later the government granted permission to 55 private hospitals to treat the Covid patients. Now the government is accepting applications from the private hospitals in districts throughout the State. On August 10, 7 hospitals in Warangal urban were granted permission to treat Covid patients, 3 in combined Karimnagar district and 15 are still pending. 4 hospitals in Nizamabad district have permission and 4 are still pending, In combined Adilabad district total of 12 applications are pending and in combined Nalgonda district 4 applications are pending.

People are criticizing that there are lack of facilities and shortage of staff in the government hospitals, so the government is granting permissions to the private hospitals so they can treat the Covid patients.