KOLKATA: Patients showing Covid symptoms but awaiting confirmatory test reports seem to be caught in a dangerous no man’s land in a health system that is trying to evolve to meet up to the coronavirus challenge.
Many Covid patients, who have got the confirmatory test report, too, are facing difficulties in trying to get a hospital bed but that is more because of availability problems; they are, at least, in the queue to get a bed. But patients showing symptoms and waiting for the test report often find themselves trapped in limbo, sometimes with fatal consequences.
A case in point is a 76-year-old Girish Park resident with severe symptoms, including breathing distress, who was turned away by a private hospital once his test was done. Since the report was due next morning, the patient’s family was told that he could not be admitted till his Covid status was confirmed and they should look for another hospital.
The patient’s kin was forced to hire an ambulance that did not have oxygen support and he died on the way to a government hospital.
A reason why hospitals are refusing Covid suspects is the fact that many have done away with a ‘holding area’ that used to be there till a month ago. They have been merged with Covid units that were expanded over the last few weeks.
Medica Superspecialty Hospital, for instance, has 32 holding-area beds. But patients with symptoms are still being asked to produce a Covid report for admission.
Medica chairperson Alok Roy, however, claimed that the hospital was regularly admitting patients awaiting test reports. “There is a bed crunch, but suspects are not being turned away,” he said. Medica chairperson Alok Roy, however, admitted that those with a report are finding admissions easier. “Many have lied about their report to get admitted. There were others who had tested negative but believed the report to be wrong and insisted on admission,” he said.
Last week, another private hospital refused a suspect who was expecting his report later that night. He had to be admitted at a nursing home which referred him back to another private hospital next morning. Fortunately, his report had arrived by then that helped him get a berth.
Peerless Hospital said they, too, insist on a report especially if the patient is symptomatic. But those in need of emergency care are put through rapid tests like GenXpert for a faster result and then admitted. “Rather than the RT-PCR which may take up to 24 hours to produce a report, we use the rapid tests. We have set aside enough test kits for emergency patients,” said CEO Sudipto Mitra.
The hospital has a holding area, claimed Mitra. “It is used for both suspects and the rest waiting for their Covid report. But each positive report is turning out to be a challenge since our Covid beds are limited,” said Mitra, adding that Peerless will expand its Covid unit next week.
Another private hospital said it was forced to merge its holding area with its Covid unit after the government started prodding for more beds. “The only available space for an expansion was the holding area and we took it up. Now, we can’t admit suspects without a report for it would put both patients and health workers at risk,” said an official of the hospital.
AMRI Hospitals, too, has an ‘isolation ward’ where suspects and those awaiting test reports are lodged. “For emergency patients, we conduct rapid tests for a quick report and admit them. Those undergoing elective surgeries are asked to come with a report,” said CEO Rupak Barua.
Many Covid patients, who have got the confirmatory test report, too, are facing difficulties in trying to get a hospital bed but that is more because of availability problems; they are, at least, in the queue to get a bed. But patients showing symptoms and waiting for the test report often find themselves trapped in limbo, sometimes with fatal consequences.
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Some gaps are there in how patients are being treated and some patients have already slipped through these gaps. Hospitals need to ask themselves what their priorities are right now: getting “complicated cases” off their own back to maintain a “clean” record or do their best to save every single patient’s life. People are watching what each hospital is doing in this crisis hour.
A case in point is a 76-year-old Girish Park resident with severe symptoms, including breathing distress, who was turned away by a private hospital once his test was done. Since the report was due next morning, the patient’s family was told that he could not be admitted till his Covid status was confirmed and they should look for another hospital.
The patient’s kin was forced to hire an ambulance that did not have oxygen support and he died on the way to a government hospital.
A reason why hospitals are refusing Covid suspects is the fact that many have done away with a ‘holding area’ that used to be there till a month ago. They have been merged with Covid units that were expanded over the last few weeks.
Medica Superspecialty Hospital, for instance, has 32 holding-area beds. But patients with symptoms are still being asked to produce a Covid report for admission.
Medica chairperson Alok Roy, however, claimed that the hospital was regularly admitting patients awaiting test reports. “There is a bed crunch, but suspects are not being turned away,” he said. Medica chairperson Alok Roy, however, admitted that those with a report are finding admissions easier. “Many have lied about their report to get admitted. There were others who had tested negative but believed the report to be wrong and insisted on admission,” he said.
Last week, another private hospital refused a suspect who was expecting his report later that night. He had to be admitted at a nursing home which referred him back to another private hospital next morning. Fortunately, his report had arrived by then that helped him get a berth.
Peerless Hospital said they, too, insist on a report especially if the patient is symptomatic. But those in need of emergency care are put through rapid tests like GenXpert for a faster result and then admitted. “Rather than the RT-PCR which may take up to 24 hours to produce a report, we use the rapid tests. We have set aside enough test kits for emergency patients,” said CEO Sudipto Mitra.
The hospital has a holding area, claimed Mitra. “It is used for both suspects and the rest waiting for their Covid report. But each positive report is turning out to be a challenge since our Covid beds are limited,” said Mitra, adding that Peerless will expand its Covid unit next week.
Another private hospital said it was forced to merge its holding area with its Covid unit after the government started prodding for more beds. “The only available space for an expansion was the holding area and we took it up. Now, we can’t admit suspects without a report for it would put both patients and health workers at risk,” said an official of the hospital.
AMRI Hospitals, too, has an ‘isolation ward’ where suspects and those awaiting test reports are lodged. “For emergency patients, we conduct rapid tests for a quick report and admit them. Those undergoing elective surgeries are asked to come with a report,” said CEO Rupak Barua.
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