Mumbai: Asymptomatic patients hogging private beds, says BMC

The citys private hospitals are now in a fix over a circular issued by BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal It mentions that hospitals and nursing homes will not be able to directly admit suspected or positive COVID19 patients before informing the local ward war room but offers no clarity on issuing permissions Calling the circular vague doctors have asked as to who would be responsible for the patients lives in such a scenarioThe circular dated June 15 comes days after the civic chief directed private labs to send COVID19 test reports only to the BMC and not share it with patients Even after a month of the civic body starting a realtime dashboard and wardlevel war rooms for better management the issue of nonavailability of beds for COVID19 patients remains unresolvedThe current circular mentions that if beds are not available in private hospitals or allotment takes time through the local ward war room then the doctors should first stabilise the patients It also says that asymptomatic patients should have a COVID19 positive report when they approach a private hospital or nursing home for admission The BMC has strictly asked hospitals not to admit walkin COVID19 patients Also in cases of urgent transfer of patients from one private hospital to another the authorities should inform the ward war roomOccupying bedsThe move comes in the light of allegations against private hospitals for admitting asymptomatic patients who panic on being informed by private labs that they are COVID19 positive A civic official said that the circular was issued because asymptomatic positive patients were occupying all the COVID beds in private hospitals which was against the ICMR guidelinesBMC doctors and health workers screen patients at Kranti Nagar Jarimari File picIn many cases labs inform patients about their test results even before sending the reports to BMC These patients pay money and occupy beds which are reserved for symptomatic patients Even hospitals earn by just providing quarantine facilities without any treatment said a senior BMC officialPointing out a number of issues with the circular Dr Deepak Baid president of Association of Medical Consultants said When you are issuing a circular which is directly connected to a lifeanddeath situation it has to be clear There are a couple of issues with the circular which we have pointed out but no one seems to be in a mood for a clarificationWhat about senior citizensDr Nilima Vaidya Bhamre said What will happen if hospitals refuse to take in symptomatic suspected patients as the person will not have a positive report As per the World Health Organisation there is 38 per cent possibility that a patient will be COVID19 positive despite having a negative report In such cases clinical diagnosis through CTscan gives a better idea Who will take responsibility for the lives of such patients if their condition deterioratesWhile the circular mentions that asymptomatic patients without comorbidities should not be allotted beds it does not mention anything about senior citizens without comorbidities These patients need care added Dr Baid He further said If the local authority wants to check wrong practices then it should be done in a particular manner Such kind of circulars are demoralising for doctors who genuinely make efforts to treat patientsPrabhakar Shinde group leader of BJP in BMC said While the circular has been issued in good intention to free up beds occupied by asymptomatic patients it should not harm the needy ones We have already asked for a clarification of the circular from the BMC Meanwhile the civic body has also warned private hospitals to not inform patients about their test results The BMC has asked private labs to clear all reports within 24 hours so that there is no delay in informing the patients or providing them the required treatment said a BMC officialWhat undue advantageA doctor from a nursing home said Its a good move to not inform patients quarantining at home about their test results directly but what about those who are already admitted in hospitals for surgeries and other treatment Even they have to undergo COVID19 tests They are already there in the hospitals so how can the hospitals take undue advantageSpeaking to midday municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said Most of the COVID beds in major private hospitals are occupied by asymptomatic patients The BMC strictly wants to safeguard the interest of positive patients who need urgent careCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news