Tirupati: Patient enrolment in private Covid hospitals goes up

Tirupati: The coronavirus positive cases have crossed 25,500 in Chittoor district as 14,000 plus cases have been reported since August 1 compared to a little over 11,000 cases from March to July. Significantly, the number of active cases stand at below 10,000 though the 250 deaths have been ringing alarm bells. Tirupati city and rural together account for around 13,000 cases and 115 deaths.

As the cases have been increasing with each passing day, the government Covid hospitals are witnessing huge load and it has become an uphill task for hospital authorities and government officials as well to provide additional infrastructure despite their best efforts.

The government's decision to allow private hospitals to extend Covid services brought respite to the officials and government Covid facilities as additional 500 beds have come into use. In Tirupati, the officials have permitted 10 private hospitals till now to exend Covid services which are having both ICU and non-ICU beds to admit patients with moderate to severe symptoms.

However, there was a criticism that critical patients were being referred to Ruia or SVIMS hospitals to avoid risk. They entered agreements with private hotels to provide isolation facility to those with asymptomatic and having mild symptoms.

With this, those who can afford to pay more for extra comfort and luxurious stay have been looking at private hospitals. Though the government has fixed treatment charges, private hospitals have soon started fleecing the patients according to their wish. The district Collector, local MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy and Chandragiri MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy have taken it seriously and talked to the private hospital managements asking them to make charges available to commoners also.

They responded positively and assured cooperation to the government in this crucial period. They have been saying now that even the common people can afford treatment at private hospitals. All these factors have helped in increasing patient enrolment at private Covid hospitals during the past few days.

It was learnt that more than 2,000 patients got isolated in the private hospitals so far. The DM&HO Dr M Penchalaiah has said that they have been receiving all details on patient enrolment. "It was observed that each hospital has admitted above 150 patients since they got approvals. We have been closely monitoring the treatment protocols and other aspects in these hospitals and the situation is satisfactory. So far two deaths took place in two private hospitals," he maintained.