Covid deaths: Admn serves notices on 4 pvt hosps

LUCKNOW : The district administration has served notices on four private hospitals in the city for laxity in patient care and ignoring protocol, which apparently caused death of patients.

As many as 48 deaths at these hospitals are under the scanner. The anomalies include delay in starting treatment in holding/ isolation area, delay in getting Covid tests done at the time of admission, delay in shifting patients to a Covid hospital after test report came positive, said officials.

“Prima facie, investigation found that standards/protocols were not followed by the four hospitals. The four hospitals -Chandan, Apollomedics, Mayo and another one – have been served notices and reply has been sought from them,” said Abhishek Prakash, district magistrate, Lucknow.

“Both Covid and non-Covid patients need immediate medical attention and testing when they come to hospital. We need to check deaths due to late referral or any other reason. Laxity in patient care cannot be excused,” said the DM.

The hospitals have been asked to file their reply on what caused death of these patients. A decision on the action against the hospitals will be taken once the hospitals file their reply to the district administration that will be screened by a panel of experts. The hospitals have been handed over a list of the deceased patients, he said.

“We have handed over all the documents related to patients who died at our hospital in the past one-and-half-month,” said Dr Farooq Ansari, medical director, Chandan hospital.

“In many cases, the first test report came negative for Covid. But based on clear symptoms doctors kept the patient in isolation area and started treatment. After two or three days, the patient tested positive and was admitted to the Covid wing. In such cases, there was no delay, but a decision based upon medical ground,” said Dr Madhulika Singh, head of Mayo hospital that has admitted about 500 Covid patients in two-and-halfmonths and about 450 of them have recovered.

“No patient was admitted to the Apollomedics hospital Covid facility before September 22. None of the 17 patients being referred to in the notice, which is circulating in social media, have died at Apollomedics hospital. These patients had died in other Covid facilities where they were referred on directions of CMO, after testing positive for Covid,” said Dr Ajaya Kumar of Apollomedics hospital.

In Lucknow, over a dozen private hospitals have been allowed treatment for Covid patients. The charges have also been fixed. Patients are referred to these hospitals by Covid command centre on the basis of bed availability, said officials.