‘Impracticable’ : Private hospitals on Govt’s directive to reserve 50% bed for COVID-19

Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 13

The Nagaland State Government’s directive to all private hospitals to provide treatment to COVID-19 patients as well as reserve at least 50% of total bed capacity for COVID-19 patients is yet to materialize.

A number of private hospitals in Dimapur have termed the directive as “impracticable” without taking into consideration the ground reality of functioning of private hospitals. Earlier in the first week of May, the government in the directive tasked the District Task Forces of respective districts to ensure compliance of the order.

The directive, placating as it may sound, is impracticable and cannot be enforced per se, commented the Managing Director of a private hospital.

“First, is our building infrastructure which consists of only one whole block and we have no separate wings or blocks,” the MD said.

Segregating COVID-19 patients and other patients within one whole block is not practical, he said, adding that the risk of keeping both categories of patients under one building cannot be underrated.

“We also have limited manpower and limited oxygen reserve. At present, anything to do with oxygen including oxygen masks is not available in the market,” the doctor said.

Compounded to these are rising disgruntlement from nurses and subordinate health workers over disparity in facilities between government and private health workers despite the same workload. The MD said that many nurses and subordinate employees have threatened to resign if they are not accorded the same facilities and benefits as government nurses once the hospital starts admitting COVID-19 patients.

The MD also admitted that most private hospitals do not have means to lodge health care workers in separate quarters during COVID-19 duty on rotation basis.

“If we start admitting COVID-19 patients, then we have to discharge half of our patients undergoing various treatments and that again will be a huge headache,” he said.

The MD of another private hospital said the government’s directive was “immature” and that the government should have consulted private hospitals before making the decision. He said many private hospitals have to undergo major revamp if they are to comply with the directive.

He said during a recent meeting with the Principal Director, Health & Family Welfare and CMO Dimapur, the private hospitals had highlighted various problems including infrastructure and logistics. He disclosed that in the last meeting, it was discussed that four private hospitals in Dimapur would start admitting COVID-19 patients, but the matter had not been finalized.     

“As and when situation demands, our hospital will also be ready to admit COVID-19 patients. But I feel the government should take more responsibility than mere directive,” he said.

The head of another private hospital said private doctors had on two occasions suggested to the Health & Family Welfare officials that for Dimapur, a dedicated COVID-19 hospital be set up in a spacious area like Agri Expo Site, Ganeshnagar or New DC Complex Chümoukedima, to cater to COVID-19 patients.

He was of the opinion that this would be the most viable alternative, instead of insisting private hospitals to admit COVID-19 cases.

Without proper monitoring and logistic support, if private hospitals start admitting COVID cases, then many patients suffering from other ailments and their relatives would be scared to visit private hospitals, he said.