Dear Gujarat govt, how do we get tested now?

PRIVATE HOSPITALS RUNNING OUT OF COVID-19 BEDS

Gujarat government’s revised testing policy, which makes it mandatory for Covid suspects to get hospitalised if they want to get tested, is putting tremendous strain on private hospitals that are forced to turn patients away or keep them waiting

Gujarat continues to stand tall in the ignominious list of states with high Covid-19 mortality. While citizens thought that Gujarat’s revised testing rules would allow them to protect their own lives without hassles, it looks like the state’s Covid-19 policy may have leapt from frying pan into fire.

The government had revised the testing policy on June 2, making it impossible for Covid-19 suspects to get tested without being hospitalised. Four days later, several private hospitals in Ahmedabad are complaining that their Covid-19 wards have run out of beds and they are forced to refuse patients or ask them to wait for admission.

In such a situation, there is no way that common citizens can get themselves tested for coronavirus. Doctors warn that the revised testing rules will only worsen the Covid-19 situation in Gujarat.


Ahmedabad Medical Association (AMA) and Ahmedabad Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (AHNA) say that there aren’t enough Covid beds in Ahmedabad, a coronavirus hotspot, and the testing policy that requires compulsory hospitalisation of suspects will overwhelm the healthcare system.

Mirror spoke to heads of major private hospitals in the city to know the status of their Covid facilities. At SAL Hospital, officials said that all 72 Covid beds are occupied. SAL Medical Director Dr Harsha Parikh said, “We are having to send back at least 10 patients per day and others that we do not even know about. There are patients that are recommended by our consultants but once we refuse them, they also don’t recommend other patients so we will never know how many patients are could have been admitted.”

Asked whether the hospital could give more beds for Covid treatment, she said, “We are empanelled under the MAA Yojana and so non-Covid patients have begun coming in. How will we be able to accommodate them if we give away our bets to Covid patients? We additionally need two OTs for non-Covid patients as well as ventilators.” At Sanjivani, 22 of 24 are beds are occupied, said the administrator. Of the 45 beds in Apollo hospital, 33 are full, said its PRO. At Sterling, 25 of the 34 beds are currently occupied by Covid patients, said its VP Namisha Gandhi.

At Medilink Hospital, all 32 beds are full and Director Dr Manish Agarwal said that they are having to refuse at least 10-12 patients every single day. The same condition exists at CIMS Hospital where all 100 beds are full. There is currently a waiting list of 20 patients who want to get admitted, said Director Dr Dhiren Shah. He added, “We are in a dilemma because of this new testing policy. We are getting so many patients who have to be turned away as we cannot in good conscience keep Covid patients waiting for a long time. In spite of this waiting list, we have been turning down patients every single day. We are having to refuse suspect cases so that we can admit serious positive patients first.”


At HCG, there are 40 Covid beds of which 30 are full. Dr Bharat Gadhavi, Regional Head at HCG and President of AHNA told Mirror, “The system needs to change. Large hospitals which are non-Covid hospitals, also need to pitch in and admit patients because existing ones have run out of capacity. We are turning down at least 3-4 patients every day which ideally should not been happening.”

The issue with the notification, said doctors, is the ironical stand of the government that is pushing more patients to the hospitals just weeks after sending all asymptomatic patients back into home isolation.

Dr Mona Desai said that there aren’t enough beds for the expected influx of suspected patients even if one considers just those whose relatives had tested positive for Covid-19. Dr Mona Desai, President of AMA told Mirror, “Private hospitals cannot just give their entire facilities for Covid. Where will the non-Covid patients go? The government has to think about them as well. All we are asking for is relaxation in testing norms so as to not overwhelm the existing infrastructure.”

AMA has written a second letter to the principal secretary of health regarding this, said Dr Desai, adding that the association may again have to knock the doors of the high court to get a ruling in the matter.


Sources in the health department said officials had sought time to think over the matter before making any changes to the testing policy mechanism. When Mirror spoke to Principal Health Secretary on Friday regarding the issue, she had said, “We are discussing it. The matter is subjudice, we will take a call.” Mirror again tried to reach out to her on Saturday, but she was unavailable for comment.

Mirror spoke to two trust-based hospitals as well. At SMS Hospital, 130 patients are admitted against a capacity of 218 beds. At Jivraj Mehta Hospital, there are 48 patients against 85 beds. However, both these hospitals get patients referred to them directly by the civic body.

At the 1,200-bed Covid facility in Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, that are just 800 beds occupied as of June 6, informed Superintendent Dr Jaiprakash Modi. However, a senior official informed that some beds need to be kept in reserve at government hospitals.