Panaji: The state government has issued an order stating that no patient requiring critical care or emergency service or medical service shall be denied admission in any hospital for want of RT-PCR certificate or ID proof.

The order issued by additional secretary of the public health department Vikas Gaunekar said the order passed by the Supreme Court on April 30, 2021 in a suo motu writ petition has observed that RT-PCR COVID testing facilities are overwhelmed and test results are taking inordinate long time, and at times, the results are inaccurate.

It said that in such circumstances the patients are refused service on various grounds, and some patients are denied admission to hospitals for lack of valid ID proof or place of residence.

“Now, the state government in exercise of Section 2(1) of Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 hereby issues following directions for strict compliance that no patient requiring critical care or emergency service shall be turned away or denied service or admission in any hospital for want of RT-PCR certificate.”

It also said that no patient shall be denied medical service or admission in any hospital for want of ID proof or for the fact that he is not resident of the city or the state where the hospital is located.

The order further stated that the admission to the hospital must be based on need; considering the scarcity of beds, only need-based patients shall be admitted in hospital after proper clinical assessment by the medical experts.

“The above directions/instructions shall be scrupulously followed and deviation from the same shall attract penal action as per law,” the government has warned.