Telangana: No extension of lockdown

Hyderabad: The Telangana government has decided against extending lockdown in the state despite increasing number of corona positive cases in five districts. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is likely to covey the same to the Prime Minister during the video conference he would have with the latter on Wednesday.

The government, according to Minister for Health Eatala Rajender, is of the firm view that the pandemic can be soon contained and there is no need to panic. He said the government would complete 50,000 tests in the next days free of cost. As of now, it has the capacity to test 4,000 people per day and another machine was being procured which can take up 7,500 tests per day. The intensity of the cases has been more in these five districts and once that comes under control, things would be much better and safer, he said.

Rajender said it has been decided that the corporate hospitals which will take up Covid-19 tests should charge only Rs 2,200 for each test. Similarly, it has made it mandatory that all hospitals to charge Rs 4,000 per patient per day who has been kept in isolation ward, Rs 7,500 per day for those who have been kept in ICU and Rs 9,000 for those who need ventilator. The patients will be charged for anti-viral drugs if it becomes necessary to use them.

There are 13 private hospitals under GHMC limits which can admit corona positive patients but all of them should submit daily reports to the Health department about the number of patients admitted, beds occupied, tests conducted and the result of the tests.

The Health minister also said that the hospitals should not conduct tests on all. Only those who were found to be symptomatic after assessment by doctors should be tested.

The government also said that those who want free treatment should go to the government hospital and those who can afford can go to private hospital. This will also reduce pressure on beds in the government hospital.

Special CS (Health) Shanti Kumari said that there were no dearth of beds. She advised the public not to go for tests or treatment if they don't have symptoms. Without symptoms, don't join hospitals and occupy beds, she said.