Hyderabad: Pressure from mild cases for admission irk hospitals

Hyderabad: Corporate hospitals offering Covid treatment in the twin cities are facing a peculiar problem. More than the doctors it is corona positive patients and attendants who are insisting on admission and treatment in the hospitals at whatever cost.

A senior doctor from a corporate hospital said that positive cases with mild symptoms are queuing up for admission in corporate hospitals and also getting recommendations of influential persons in the government to grant an admission into the hospital. Those who are joining as suspected cases and staying in isolation wards are exerting pressure for room admission and treatment after test results coming positive despite them having mild symptoms. With mild symptoms, patients occupying beds and not leaving the hospital for at least one week or so hospitals are unable to admit other infected patients coming to the hospital and they are being told to try in some other hospital. "Because of this situation, critical patients who require ICU care are being deprived of hospital admissions and are being sent back."

Some of the patients' attendants are entering into confrontation when they were told that they have mild symptoms and can stay in home isolation and completely recover without any problem. They are being told about home care packages that come at a very affordable cost and cheaper than hospital treatment. But some of them are arguing that they have money and can afford treatment in hospital and hospital cannot get them discharged without their consent," the doctor said.

An administrative employee with a corporate hospital stated that this is set to become a social issue in the coming days unless people with mild symptoms are enlightened that they should make way for critical patients to get much needed supervision of the specialist doctors so that their lives are saved.

The Telangana Super-specialty Hospitals Association (TSHA) held a press briefing where the executive members urged the people with mild symptoms to prefer home isolation instead of rushing to hospitals. "Patients with mild symptoms of Covid have chances for good recovery at home than at hospitals. People having mild symptoms just have to take enough rest and increase their immunity and reduce viral load.

Across the world, more than 98 percent mild cases have been cured," Dr B Bhaskar Rao, president of the TSHA, said. He said that corporate hospitals in the twin-cities have made available more than 1500 beds at present for treating Corona patients. The beds are limited as they cannot treat all Covid infected cases at one place. Hence, it is important that only critical patients seek hospital admission for recovery while those having mild symptoms can get cured at home.