It’s ‘testing’ time for non-Covid patients
With most hospitals turning Covid-centric and others demanding a corona test, those in need of urgent medical care are left to the mercy of God
LUCKNOW: With the entire health care system fighting to defeat coronavirus, non-Covid patients are left to fend for themselves. In the state capital itself, people afflicted with diseases other than corona are struggling to get medical care despite helplines offered by the Indian Medical Association and the Hello Doctor service of Lucknow Municipal Corporation Smart City team.
Most hospitals are Covid-centric or insist on a corona test before catering to the patient. But can one in need of immediate care afford to wait till the test report gives him or her a clean chit?
Sealing of some major private hospitals after Covid patients reached there for treatment has forced a lot of small and mid size nursing homes to shut their doors on common patients.
However, seeing the plight of people, some hospitals , notably the PGI, have devised a mechanism whereby those in need of urgent medical care will be attended in a separate holding area but their corona test will be done. Based on the test report, they will later either be admitted or sent to a Covid hospital.
As for insisting on corona test, hospital managements defend their stance saying they have to protect their staff too.
Abhishek Srivastava of Alambagh who lost his mother to anaemia last week because Lokbandhu Hospital, Civil Hospital and KGMU trauma centre refused to admit her, said, “I was running between these hospitals with the patient but no one was ready to guide me how and where I could get my mother admitted. Ultimately she died without getting any treatment.”
SGPGI STARTS HOLDING AREA
Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS ) has decided to admit the non Covid patients now but not before getting the Covid test done.
Director SGPGIMS Professor Radha Krishna Dheeman said , “Patient care services were re-organised to check the spread of infection. It is all the more important to protect the health care workers in a non Covid area.”
A holding area( non Covid) has been made functional to hold patients requiring admissions in the main hospital and PMSSY block till their Covid test report is available. If their report is negative, they patients will be shifted to the respective speciality ward. In case the report is positive, the patient will be shifted to Rajdhani Covid hospital.
“Non Covid holding area has been activated from May 8. It has 18 beds to manage only those stable patients who are planned for dialysis, chemotherapy and other needs. Next category of patients are those planned for admission in medical and surgical wards,” said professor Dheeman.
PVT HOSPS NOT HAPPY
Former president of IMA Lucknow chapter Dr PK Gupta said , “There have been some instances of hospitals having been sealed as a few patients turned out to be corona positive. That’s why private hospitals are hesitating to treat non Covid patients without getting them tested.”
However, private hospitals like Apollo Medics and Medanta have come up as a great support to non Covid health care system. These hospitals are sending their ambulances not only in Lucknow but also in cities like Rae Bareli , Kanpur, Hardoi . But these hospitals have a separate screening area for patients.
Dr Mayank Somani CEO of Apollo Medics Lucknow said, “No patient is admitted without Covid test. Despite that we have treated several heart attack patients.” Director Medanta Hospital Dr Rakesh Kapoor said, “The sick and their relatives often don’t know where to go. They must be educated about that.”
District magistrate Abhishek Prakash said,” A number of people have dialled 112 and police have helped them get admission in their preferred hospitals . Cops have also delivered medicines and brought doctors at doorsteps.” He said specialists were giving free advice at LMC’s Hello Doctor service and IMA helpline.