Stern action against pvt hosps that deny admission to Covid patients

Kolkata: The West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC) has warned the private hospitals against the refusal of Covid affected patients including the pregnant women or else stern action would be taken against them.

An advisory was issued in this regard on Monday where it has been clearly stated that a hospital should inform a pregnant woman at the time of her first consultation that she can be denied admission if she turns positive for Covid.

The hospitals have to make an agreement with the treating gynecologist that the hospital's infrastructure will not support Covid treatment. If a patient is already enrolled with a particular hospital, it cannot deny admission to the woman, says the advisory.

The advisory also says that if the hospital does not have adequate infrastructure, it should ensure that the patient gets admitted to another

hospital.

The hospital has to take measures for shifting the patient to another facility as per the choice of the patient.

The patient will have to pay for the transport. The commission has sent a clear message to the hospitals that

expecting mothers cannot be refused admission at the last moment.

The decision has been taken after the WBCERC received some allegations from certain quarters about the refusal of patients by some private hospitals.

A young woman from New Town had been under the treatment of a gynaecologist and obstetrics who was attached with a hospital from the beginning.

The woman had undergone swab tests as it has been made mandatory before any surgical procedure. She tested positive for the virus.

The woman's husband alleged that the hospital she had been visiting for nine months denied the services after the report came

Covid positive.

The woman later delivered the child in another private hospital.

The advisory also mentioned that no private hospitals can charge a patient more than what the state government has prescribed in its

guidelines. The commission has also sent a strong message that no private hospitals can harass the patients at the present Covid situation. Covid positive patients or the suspected patients cannot be denied admission.