Lockdown was a nightmare for non-Covid patients here
AGRA: The agony of patients suffering from non-Covid diseases in the district was inexplicable during the lockdown period.
There were reports of harassment faced by patients who were denied treatment by most nursing homes which feared action from the administration if any patients treated by them tested corona positive.
For instance, Paras Hospital here was sealed and an FIR was lodged against its owner after several patients treated there later tested corona positive over a month ago.
To avoid action, private hospitals started admitting and treating only those patients whose Covid-19 report was negative beforehand.
“It is a reality that 70 % medical facilities are provided by private practitioners but even our integrity was doubted and this led to the crisis,” said Dr Narendra Malhotra, who runs a medical facility here.
“With such a communication gap prevailing before the private doctors and the administration, Indian Medical Association (IMA), Agra chapter, backed the doctors mostly having private practice and running nursing homes and outcome was a joint statement by the CMO and the president, IMA, last week” said Dr Sanjay Chaturvedi, secretary, IMA, Agra chapter.
As per him, the highlights of the joint statement included a conducive atmosphere so that all IMA members felt secure and started their routine work with necessary precautions.
The joint statement stressed the need for corona sample testing by private labs without any hindrance. It talked about police protection to clinical establishment and staff too.
DM Prabhu N Singh also said the doctors were with the administration in serving the common man in a better way.
When IMA demanded withdrawal of provision for action against clinical establishments, CMO Dr RC Pandey assured it on behalf of the administration that legal action would be taken without damaging the morale of private doctors.
On allowing private labs to test corona samples, the DM said two labs had been allowed to carry out sample testing.
Meanwhile, several nursing homes have resumed operations in Agra but private practitioners have not returned to work.