Hospitals need no approval for testing individuals for Covid- 19: WB govt
In an advisory, the government asked all hospitals inthe state not to deny healthcare services to any patient "forany reason whatsoever".
The advisory was issued a day after Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee urged private hospitals not to refuse anypatient approaching them for treatment of coronavirusinfection.
The chief minister's appeal came after allegationswere raised that some private facilities are refusing to treatpatients with symptoms of coronavirus.
According to the advisory, the Union Ministry ofHealth and Family Welfare on April 28 issued a guideline "onthe early normalisation of services in the health sector forproviding non-Covid 19 essential service to patients".
The guideline is for the ready reference and necessaryaction of all hospitals and healthcare facilities in the stateto ensure that such facilities are available to every patient,the advisory said.
"Further it is clarified that no government approvalis required for either admitting or treating any patient inany healthcare facility or for testing an individual forCOVID-19 as per ICMR's testing protocol," it said.
The state government has collaborated with 51 privatehospitals to treat Covid-19 patients and is bearing all theexpenses of their treatment, the chief minister said onWednesday.
"But other hospitals also can treat coronavirus casesby taking necessary precautionary measures. I appeal toeverybody to provide treatment to them," she had said. SUSNN NN