Pvt hospitals to add beds, two to accept MA cards

VADODARA: Responding to the need for increased treatment facilities for Covid-19 patients, private hospitals in the city have offered to increase their bed capacity to more than 1,000. This apart, two other hospitals associated with private medical colleges will also accept up to 400 patients covered under the Mukhyamatri Amrutam (MA) scheme.
The association of private hospitals in the city – Setu – had been holding meetings with officials on steps to rationalize the cost of Covid-19 treatment as well as on how to increase treatment facilities in the city.
Non-ICU hospitals in the city have submitted a plan of having 422 beds, while those with ICU facilities have submitted a plan of having 605 beds. The facilities include 192 ICU beds and 76 ventilators. The hospitals have already given details of charges that will be taken by them for Covid-19 treatment.
Some of these hospitals already have facilities for treating Covid-19 patients and have necessary permissions too. The remaining hospitals will have to undergo the formalities before starting admissions. Officer on special duty for Vadodara for Covid-19 Dr Vinod Rao said that inspections of hospitals will be conducted and they will be empanelled after this.
Friday brought a major relief for those holding MA cards as they can now avail treatment at the Parul Medical College Hospital (PMCH) and the Dhiraj Medical College Hospital (DMCH). Rao said that a MoU had been signed for this and also pointed out that patients will be provided free transportation facilities to the hospitals.
The hospitals are located on the Waghodia Highway at Pipariya and Limda. Several in the eastern parts of the city may prefer these hospitals. While PMCH has a capacity of 150 Covid-19 patients, DMCH has a capacity of 250 patients.