PMC signs off from private hospitals for COVID-care

It is looking for better capacity utilisation of the dedicated jumbo facilities set up, while keeping only a few private institutions on board to take care of complicated cases

With the number of COVID- 19 cases declining, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to direct all patients afflicted by the virus to the jumbo facilities and PMC-run hospitals, referring them to private hospitals only if they develop complications and require treatment that cannot be provided at these COVID-care units. So starting Monday, patients going to private hospitals without being specifically referred by the civic body, will not be entitled to free treatment.

At the outset, when the pandemic broke and PMC had no dedicated COVID-care facility working, it had entered into agreement with 11 hospitals, including Bharati Hospital and Research Centre, Kashibai Navale Hospital, Inlaks and Budhrani Hosptial, Poona Hospital, Sahyadri Hospital at Kothrud and Symbiosis University Hospital and Research Centre, for taking in COVID-19 patients, the cost of whose treatment would be compensated by the civic body.

The six-month agreement has ended and PMC has decided not to renew it with all the 11.

Going forward, COVID-19 patients will be treated only at the two jumbo facilities set up in the city - at College of Engineering Pune (COEP) and Baner - and two PMC hospitals - Naidu and Sonawane (for pregnant COVID-19 patients). New agreement will be signed with a few hospitals for availing their ventilator and oxygen equipped beds.

PMC's additional commissioner, Rubal Agarwal insisted that the decision was not just an attempt to save money but a moral one, as it did not seem right to have patients admitted in private hospitals when such big dedicated facilities are at hand. "The earlier practice of sending patients to private hospitals randomly, will cease. Only those needing additional treatment which are not available at our facilities will be filtered and sent to private hospitals. Of course, citizens can still choose to go to private hospitals for COVID-19 treatment, but they will have to foot the bill themselves," she explained.

The civic body's assistant health chief, Dr Anjali Sabne, who is in charge of the PMC-run health facilities, informed that the decision was taken pursuant to a discussion with the additional commissioner on Friday. "Presently we have several beds that are vacant at the jumbo facilities and PMC is paying for them as well as to the private hospitals, where the COVID-19 patients are admitted. This is unnecessary, so we decided to stop the treatment at private hospitals unless it is referred by us due to certain lacunae in the dedicated facilities," she reiterated.

Dr Sanjeev Wavare, who is the other assistant health chief at PMC, added, "The are enough beds at the jumbo COVID-care centres, with several expert doctors, medicines and screening facilities in attendance. Also there are no complaints about the functioning of these units anymore and they are doing well. Recovery rate of patients at these centres has also improved, with both PMC and the district administration keeping a close watch on their operations."