Admit patients without test report: Centre
PATIENTS WITHOUT A TEST REPORT CAN BE ADMITTED TO WARDS MEANT FOR SUSPECTED COVID-19 CASES
NEW DELHI: People with Covid-19 symptoms will not need a positive test report, an identity card or an address proof to get admission to hospitals, or Covid care centres, an admission policy released by the Union health ministry said on Saturday.
While there was no Covid admission policy of the Centre previously, hospitals required a Covid test report before admitting patients. A patient with “steady” symptoms of Covid does not need an RT-PCR test report for hospitalisation in Delhi, the city-state’s government recently told the high court.
As per the central government’s policy release on Saturday: “Requirement of a positive test for COVID-19 virus is not mandatory for admission to a COVID health facility.” Patients without a test report can be admitted to wards meant for suspected Covid-19 cases.
The Union health ministry’s discharge policy, which details the level of care patients need, mentions a “confirmed Covid-19 case” with mild symptoms can be taken care of at Covid care centre established in hostels, hotels, stadiums, etc., and those with moderate symptoms are to be admitted for oxygen beds, wit severe cases requiring proper hospital care.
The new policy by the Centre also directs all hospitals to ensure that patients with the viral infection are not refused oxygen or other essential medicines just because they belong to a state other than the one the facility is located in. “No patient shall be refused admission on the ground that he/she is not able to produce a valid identity card that does not belong to the city where the hospital is located,” the policy said.
The new policy also states that the admission should only be based on need. “It should be ensured that beds are not occupied by persons who do not need hospitalisation.” It reiterates that patients with moderate disease must be discharged 10 days after the onset if they are symptomfree or three days after resolution of symptoms and the ability to maintain oxygen saturation for three consecutive days. The patients with severe disease can be discharged only after recovery and a negative RT-PCR test.
“With the surge in cases, people might not be able to get their RT-PCR reports for three to four days. So, this admission policy is important for ensuring that their treatment is not delayed. If a person has low oxygen saturation, high-grade fever, and is not able to breathe properly, it is a sign that they have Covid-19 and they should receive treatment... And, in the middle of a pandemic, not everyone needs to be tested, they are presumed to have the infection,” said Dr Lalit Kant, former head of the department of epidemiology at the ICMR.