Take 50% beds of all private hospitals for Covid-19 care, says Gujarat HC

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court on Saturday directed the state government to take 50% beds in all multi-specialty private and corporate hospitals in and around the city so that people suffering Covid-19 get better treatment and ventilator support.
After deliberating that the Civil hospital, Ahmedabad, has become worse than a “dungeon” and taking the state health minister, deputy CM Nitin Patel, to task for not managing the show, the bench of Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice I J Vora wrote, “The state government is directed to issue a notification making it mandatory for all the multi-specialty private/corporate hospitals in the city of Ahmedabad and on the outskirts to reserve 50% of their beds (or such other capacity, as the state government may deep fit and proper on the basis of the increase in the number of cases). This should include all categories of beds to treat the Covid-19 patients with specific guidelines and SOPs which the state government may deem fit.”
For private hospitals reluctant to implement the Mo-Us, the HC asked authorities to initiate “legal proceedings” and “to prosecute” responsible persons under IPC and Disaster Management Act.
HC asks why 8 hospitals were left out
The government is empowered and it should not hesitate to use the power in situation like this, the court said.
The high court pointed out eight multi-specialty hospitals and questioned why these hospitals were left out of the list of designate Covid-19 hospitals. The HC directed the government to initiate negotiations with these hospitals and ink MoUs with them. The HC has sought report on this aspect on May 29.
The high court has asked the government to renegotiate the charges fixed for the private hospitals for treatment of Covid-19 patients. “We are of the view that the rates on which the private / corporate hospitals have agreed to admit and treat the Covid¬19 patients are on a higher side,” it said and directed the government to make the charges more affordable and reasonable. The HC sought to know as to what is included and what is not, and what are the charges for those services that are not included and which are to be charged additionally.