Hospitals can’t refuse patients, 1 crore vaccine order given: UP CM

LUCKNOW: With the pandemic second wave posing a mammoth challenge to availability of hospital beds and medicines, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday directed officials to ensure that no government or private hospital in the state refuses treatment to Covid patients.
The CM also ordered immediate availability of lifesaving Remdesivir injections to critical patients, while announcing the requisition of 1 crore vaccines from two firms to expedite inoculation.
Yogi, who issued these directions after presiding over a high-level meeting through video conferencing to take stock of the pandemic, also announced the state would bear cost of treatment of patients, essentially in government hospitals. And for those in private hospitals, the government would foot the bills through Ayushman Bharat scheme.
Expressing regret at the loss of lives in the pandemic, Yogi said, the government would bear the funeral cost of those who die of Covid. The CM said, the government’s order of 1 crore vaccines from private firms was over and above the Centre’s allocation to the state. This comes a week ahead of the vaccination of citizens above 18 years of age. He added the state government will ensure the new drug by Zydus Cadila, Virafin, which got approval of Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), is made available in Lucknow, Prayagraj and Varanasi.
While asking officials to crack down on people spreading false information on social media to spread panic, the CM directed health and medical education department to take steps for raising number of beds in hospitals. “There should not be any shortage of beds,” he said, adding DMs and CMOs will be held accountable if any Corona patient is left in the lurch. Yogi said, the Covid hospital should make public availability of beds at least twice a day and strict action should be taken under Epidemic Act against private hospitals who charge more than stipulated cost.
The CM maintained the supply of oxygen was normal and asked officials to ensure the higher allocation by the Centre for UP be piped to the state as soon as possible.
This comes a day after Oxygen Express reached the state with 30,000 litres of lifesaving gas. Yogi also said, oxygen was also being airlifted and stocks replenished in the state. “No government or private hospital will face shortage of oxygen,” he said. The CM also asked the transport department to step in and help the government to raise number of tankers to ferry oxygen. He reiterated the government’s move to set up oxygen plants in hospitals with more than 100 beds be fast-tracked.
Yogi said, the Centre has increased the allocation of Remdesivir injection to 1,60,000 vials and the state government would coordinate with private manufacturers to increase availability of vials, while reiterating that no Covid hospital in the state had a shortage of Remdesivir. It is available free of cost in government hospitals, while private hospitals can get the injection at a cost fixed by the Centre, he said. The CM insisted that distribution of the drug should be done in a transparent manner. At the same time, Corona patients in home isolation are provided medical kits comprising key medicines for a minimum period of seven days, he said.