The state clinical establishment regulatory commission has said all private hospitals are “duty-bound” to treat any non-Covid patient admitted to their hospitals, who subsequently test positive for Covid-19, during their stay at the hospital.

In an audio message posted on a Whatsapp group of private hospitals on Friday, the commission’s chairperson, retired judge Ashim Banerjee, said he had come to know about a case where a patient’s family was asked to shift the patient to another hospital after the patient tested positive for Covid-19.

The patient had been admitted with other ailments and was not Covid positive during the admission.

“A patient was under treatment in a private health sector receiving treatment for non-Covid disease. In course of treatment, he developed Covid symptoms and was ultimately found to be positive. The hospital is refusing to extend their help to the patient and has asked the patient party to take the patient to some other set-up,” the West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission chairperson, said in the audio message.

According to the audio message, the hospital group that refused to treat the patient has more than one hospital in the city.

“It is the duty of the hospital to see that the patient is cured. Patient is admitted in your hospital. You have other set-up which is catering the needs of Covid patients. Hence, it is your duty to see that the patient is treated. If it is not possible in your establishment shift to your other branch, get him treated for Covid and take him back for other treatment. But you cannot say take your patient back. This is wrong,” Banerjee said in the message.

Banerjee later told Metro on Saturday that there was a system for the government hospitals under which anyone, who was admitted with some other ailments and tested positive later in a government-run hospital, was shifted to a Covid hospital run by the government.
After getting cured the patient was taken back to the first hospital for treatment of the other ailment.

“Suppose someone tested positive for Covid-19 at SSKM Hospital, where he was admitted for treatment of some ailment. During his stay at SSKM the person tested positive. SSKM would send the patient to the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital for treatment of Covid. When the person recovers from Covid, SSKM Hospital would bring him back to treat the other ailment,” Banerjee said.

The chairperson also said if a private hospital did not have Covid treatment facilities then it must arrange for the person’s hospitalisation in a hospital where Covid patients were treated.

Public health expert Abhijit Chowdhury acknowledged the problem of refusal by some hospitals to treat patients who had tested positive for Covid while they were undergoing treatment for other diseases in these hospitals.

“I came to know of a patient who was almost forcibly sent out of a hospital because the patient had tested positive for Covid. This cannot be done. This is a problem encountered by many,” he said.

Chowdhury, too, said it was responsibility of the hospital to treat the patient. “The hospital has to treat the patient or ensure the patient’s admission in another hospital where necessary care for patient can be given,” he said.

Several complaints of hospitals refusing to treat any patient who tested positive for Covid had emerged during the first wave of the pandemic last year. The commission had also asked private hospitals at that time to treat a Covid patient or take responsibility to shift the patient to a hospital where such patients were treated.

Covid facility

The youth hostel inside the Salt Lake stadium is being converted into a 250-bed Covid facility and operations will start from Monday, an official of the stadium said.

The stadium's youth hostel will function as a satellite unit of the AMRI Hospitals Salt Lake and operations have been planned on a PPP model.
Surojit Roy the CEO of the Salt Lake stadium said that the existing facilities at the youth hostel that has large dormitories which are being retrofitted to accommodate Covid-19 patients. Piped oxygen lines are also being installed, the official said.

An official of the AMRI Hospitals, said that they will begin operations in a phased manner.

"From Monday we will have 50 functional beds. The location is also ideal for us as our hospital is located right opposite," said the official.
All 250 beds are expected to be functional by next week, the official said.

Once functional the Salt Lake Stadium would be the third stadium in West Bengal to double up as a health centre. The renowned Eden Gardens had served as a safe house for police personnel while the newly built Kishore Bharati Krirangan continues to is a Covid-19 centre.