12 days after NMC deadline, 8 pvt hosps yet to begin Covid services

Nagpur: Eight private hospitals are yet to begin Covid-19 services even though Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) deadline to them ended 12 days ago. Also, the district administration is yet to bring two trust-run hospitals into use, though they were marked for services four months ago.
Considering the spike in Covid-19 positive cases, municipal commissioner Tukaram Mundhe had on July 24 issued an order directing 10 private hospitals to be ready to admit Covid-19 patients within 48 hours.
Before Mundhe’s order, a private hospital had opened one of its two buildings with 40 beds for Covid-19 with permission from divisional commissioner Sanjeev Kumar. The second building was mentioned in Mundhe’s list.
As on Friday, only two of the 10 private hospitals in the list are admitting and treating Covid-19 positive patients. Mundhe’s list also included a trust-run hospital.
After Mundhe’s order, two more private hospitals took permission and launched Covid-19 services. As on Friday, the five operational private hospitals had 193 patients, and were close to exhausting capacity. All five had only dedicated half or lesser of their capacity for Covid-19.
Mundhe did not respond to TOI’s call and messages.
Three government-run Dedicated Covid Hospitals (DCH) are working since March. AIIMS has 50 beds and is now close to full capacity.
Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMCH) have 1,200 beds of which 624 were occupied at 4pm on Friday. All Covid-19 positive patients in these two DCHs have moderate and severe symptoms. More admission are happening all the time.
As both DCHs were short staffed, collector Ravindra Thakre has provided extra staff to IGGMCH.
However, the district administration is yet to start the two trust-run hospitals with capacity of 1,200 in Hingna tehsil. One of the two was a Covid Care Centre and later modified as Dedicated Covid Health Centre (DCHC). But there are no patients in this DCHC, said the press release by district information office on Friday.
There is huge demand from patients for private hospitals, which are allowed to charge 80% of patients as per government rates and remaining 20% as per their own rates. Private hospitals could ease the burden on government-run DCHs.
Mundhe had first ordered 12 private hospitals with over 100 beds to be ready for Covid-19 services. Later, a few names were dropped. The civic chief clarified even the 29 private hospitals with capacity of 50-100 beds may be roped in for services soon.