The State Health Department has instructed private hospitals to allocate a minimum of 50% of their total bed strength exclusively to treat COVID-19 patients.
In an order issued on Friday, Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan said the Director of Medical and Rural Health Services had permitted 578 hospitals in the State to treat patients with COVID-19 infection, apart from the government healthcare facilities. The allocation was necessitated because of the rapid surge in cases in the second wave of the pandemic and as the need for hospitalisation had increased, the GO said.
As per the Tamil Nadu Clinical Establishment Act, the government had instructed the empanelled hospitals to reduce the number of admissions and elective procedures.
Further, hospitals have been instructed to allocate beds across all categories, specifically oxygen-supported beds and intensive care unit beds.
Strict compliance
“The private healthcare facilities are instructed to reduce/avoid elective and planned admissions till further orders from the government,” the GO read. The GO has said there should be no deviation from the private hospitals with regard to guidelines issued by the Union and State government.