'Stop referring serious patients to govt-run hosps'

Kolkata: The state Health department has warned some of the private hospitals against referring of Covid patients to government-run designated hospitals in critical stages after the expert team for protocol monitoring of Covid treatment found such incidents rampant.

The health expert team during its surveillance visit to some of the private hospitals found that the Covid treatment protocols issued by the government were not properly followed and such patients were being referred to the government hospitals when their health condition deteriorated.

The government-owned Covid hospitals often find it difficult to revive the patients as they are shifted in a very critical condition.

The private hospitals handling Covid patients have been asked to carry out the regular follow-up of patients who have moderate and severe symptoms. The regular profiling of Covid patients based on the severity of their ailments would help the hospital authorities to detect the danger signs and timely clinical intervention can be provided. The patients, who would be requiring a referral, can be immediately shifted to another hospital depending upon their health condition. The hospitals should intensify oxygen therapy as per guideline before putting the patients on ventilators.

The state Health department also issued an advisory to the CEOs and Medical Superintendents of all private Covid hospitals and also to the government hospitals on Friday saying that late referral causes serious consequences and therefore, the hospitals must stabilise the critical patients before referring them elsewhere. The advisory also says that in some instances, the critically ill patients are not getting ICU beds.

Before ICU referral adequate triage with oxygen and other supportive measures must be provided in wards or HDU. It will help in preserving ICU beds for more critical and deserving patients and optimum utilisation of ICU facilities may be possible. Steroids have to be given if the oxygen requirement increases in patients.

There must be an appropriate oxygen prescription mentioning the dose. The advisory also says COVID-19 top-sheet is still not being properly maintained in some of the hospitals. Maintaining that has already been made mandatory by the Health department to monitor progress and for the identification of deterioration of health conditions. This can help the hospital authorities to take immediate measures.

Private hospitals that are referring patients in critical conditions are under scanner and the state government may take action against those who will flout the protocols despite repeated pleas.

According to a senior official of the West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCERC), the private hospitals often tend to refer patients to government hospitals as they have no proper health insurance. Such patients may not be able to bear the entire cost of the treatment.

There have been instances where the patients have been referred to after the health insurance coverage has been exhausted. According to sources in the government-run Covid hospitals in the state, many patients have so far been transferred from top private hospitals in the city which includes AMRI and Apollo Gleneagles Hospital.