HYDERABAD: In a major development, Director of Medical Education Dr K Ramesh Reddy on Tuesday announced that the district hospitals will be starting treatment for critical Covid- 19 patients.

Stating that availability of ventilators and oxygen has been amped up across all district hospitals, he said that the decision was taken to reduce pressure on Gandhi Hospital, which is currently treating around 780-odd critical Covid patients.

“This decision was taken not only to reduce the burden on Gandhi Hospital but also to save precious time that goes into transporting a critical patient from the respective district to Hyderabad,” said Dr Reddy.

The senior doctor also informed that the Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (TIMS) too will start screening Covid-19 patients and if required, the patients would be advised home or institutional isolation or referred to Gandhi Hospital based on severity of the case.

“We will start a triage system in TIMS where patients will be examined. Those with mild symptoms will be given guidance on home or institutional isolation and serious cases will be screened and sent to Gandhi Hospital for multi-disciplinary treatment,” he said.