PVT HOSPITALS’ INSISTENCE ON REFERRAL LETTER COSTS PATIENTS THEIR LIVES
LUCKNOW: Gasping for breath, Seema Pandey, 51, a resident of Lucknow, succumbed to Covid in front of her agonized and frantic family just because many of the private hospitals allowed to admit Covid patients insisted on a referral letter and RTPCR report prior to admitting her.
A private hospital on Shaheed Path asked for CMO office referral report and also RTPCR report. Likewise, a hospital in Aliganj area also refused to admit her for want of CMO referral letter.
To note, the health department has allowed private hospitals to admit Covid patients and then inform the Integrated Covid Control Command Centre (ICCC).
LUCKNOW : Gasping for breath, Seema Pandey, 51, a resident of Lucknow, succumbed to Covid in front of her agonized and frantic family just because many of the private hospitals allowed to admit Covid patients insisted on a referral letter and RTPCR report prior to admitting her.
A private hospital on Shaheed Path asked for CMO office referral report and also RTPCR report. Likewise, a hospital in Aliganj area also refused to admit her for want of CMO referral letter.
To note, the health department has allowed private hospitals to admit Covid patients and then inform the Integrated Covid Control Command Centre (ICCC).
An order issued from the office of the district magistrate on Monday allowed 96 more private hospitals for treatment of Covid patients in Lucknow, thereby adding 324-oxygen supported and 38-ventilator supported beds for the patients. Earlier, the admission was done only after an approval from the ICCC.
“This will allow serious patients to get immediate admission and also the command centre will get the information via a centralised system/portal. The order is a big relief for patients in need of care at a medical centre,” said Sunil Yadav, general secretary of Indian Pharmacist Association who had written to the director general, medical health, raising the admission issue at Covid hospitals.
However, a reality check done at some of the private hospitals on the list issued by the district administration suggested that patients were not getting help from them. For instance, when Jeewan Hospital was dialled, the person at the other end said there was no staff, no oxygen and no beds and hence they were not admitting Covid patients.
The phone number of Globe Medicare remained switched off while phone calls to many other numbers went unattended despite several attempts.
Those private hospitals which want to avoid admission of patients are citing non availability of beds, non availability of oxygen or inadequate medical staff after contracting infection.
A case study
She died as kin watched helplessly. Seema Pandey, 51, was tested Covid positive according to antigen reports but was denied admission in private hospitals for want of CMO referral letter and RTPCR test report.
All attempts to get her to Covid-19 hospitals were in vain as they asked for RTPCR report and referral letter of CMO office. The patient developed complications on Tuesday afternoon all of sudden without any prior symptoms.
Her family doctor suggested arranging oxygen cylinder to give relief to the patient. The family spent a few hours in making arrangements for oxygen cylinder and other medical equipment. But during this time her condition started deteriorating fast.
Her oxygen saturation level started dropping with every passing minute. The family, with the help of some contact person, reached out to officials of the district administration and those managing the Integrated Covid Control Command Centre (ICCC) in Lucknow. They too asked for RTPCR report.
“We repeatedly told officials that the condition of the patient is such that she just cannot be moved. We said as private labs are not conducting test we are struggling for RTPCR report. Officials then said on Wednesday morning they would send government lab people for test,” said a helpless family member.
The ICCC shared the number of one Dr Ashok. When called, Dr Ashok said he was not the official concerned and the family should reach out to Dr Choudhury. The family also approached chief medical officer, Sanjay Bhatnagar on WhatsApp. But there was no response.
At midnight her condition turned very critical. The family reached out to another resourceful person in their contact. He asked them to dial 05224523000. The family dialed the number but it too asked for her RTPCR report.
On Wednesday morning (April 21)---the day of her wedding anniversary---her oxygen saturation level dropped to 31. Her pulse stopped. A distressed family member said over phone: “God helped us. She is no more. God has relieved her of all pain. She left her husband and her children only to rest in peace in some better place.”
A REALITY CHECK DONE AT SOME OF THE PRIVATE HOSPITALS ON THE LIST ISSUED BY THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION SUGGESTED THAT PATIENTS WERE NOT GETTING HELP FROM THEM