Private hospitals not reporting suspected Covid patients: NMC

NAGPUR: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) daily analysis of Covid-19 deaths has revealed private hospitals and clinics are not reporting suspected coronavirus patients, especially influenza like illness (ILI), to the civic body. This is considered very important in preventing deaths and containing spread of the disease. The analysis also shows 40% deceased got tested for Covid-19 after five or more days of symptoms.
To control increasing Covid deaths in the city, municipal commissioner Radhakrishnan B and additional municipal commissioner Jalaj Sharma have started daily analysis of deaths from beginning of September. The concept of death analysis once or twice a month was started by former municipal commissioner Tukaram Mundhe.
The latest daily analysis has pointed out 96% of the deceased in first four days of September were not high-risk contacts of positive persons. Though information of 36% deceased was not be available, 64% of the deceased had visited some or the other hospital. Of these 64%, some 65% of the deceased had visited private hospitals and clinics. They took treatment from these hospitals and clinics for an average of three days. But NMC did not get information about these patients from the private hospitals or clinics.
Among all the deceased, 40% tested for Covid-19 after five or more days of onset of symptoms, 20% within 2-5 days, 8.6% after 1 day, and 31.4% on the day symptoms appeared.
The city had witnessed first case on March 11. Since last week of March, the civic body has time and again asked all hospitals and clinics to report such cases. With rise in cases in July, NMC had directed these establishments to test all suspected patients for Covid-19 on first visit. Last month, the district administration had also started to provide Rapid Antigen Kits to hospitals.
Sharma told TOI, “We held meetings with private hospitals, clinics and related associations and requested details of suspected, including ILI, patients immediately. It is mandatory for all to report such patients. We can contact these patients, ensure their testing on time, monitor home isolation of their high-risk contacts, which will prevent deaths as well as contain spread.”
IMA president Dr Archana Kothari, though, insisted private hospitals and clinics run by MBBS or above doctors are for sure reporting cases on daily basis. “It has come to fore that patients are not getting tested for Covid-19 immediately despite suggestions by doctors. We are educating people in this regard. Also, private hospitals have started to test almost all patients before admitting or taking them in for surgeries etc,” she said.
Dr Kothari added, “A large number of DHMS, BAMS etc doctors are also practicing in the city and might be not reporting ILI patients to NMC. We are planning to spread awareness among these doctors. IMA has been doing its best to contain spread and control deaths for last few months, and also launched some programmes on its own and also in association with NMC.”
Earlier reports had indicated 82-85% of deceased were comorbid. Latest report says 74% were comorbid, which show a rise in deaths of patients with no comorbidities.
As for age, 32% of deceased were in age group of 61-70 with similar number in 51-60 years groups. Some 20% were in group of 71-80 years, 6% each in above 81 years and 21-40 ages, 4% in 41-50 group, and 0% below 20 years.