The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in its April 30 update stated that over 33,000 had been tested positive for coronavirus in the country. Maharashtra is one of the states which is severely affected by the novel virus accounting number of positive cases nearing 10,000-mark and over 400 deaths reported till date. 

Cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Nashik, Nagpur are witnessing a continuous rise in cases. Now, as the COVID-19 cases have seen a surge, the State government on Thursday has issued strict orders to hospitals treating coronavirus patients.

To decongest the hospitals all asymptomatic individuals without concurrent should be shifted to appropriate COVID care centres as early as possible. COVID and non-COVID hospitals should safeguard that no fees are decided to asymptomatic positive patients without comorbidity, the State government said.

The fresh directives which are directed that will come into action from May 2, as Chief Secretary of Maharashtra analysed the reports of hospitals delaying or turning away patients due to the rising number of coronavirus patients.

Directives for hospitals

Mobilisation of all ambulances within Mumbai will be controlled by the disaster management department of MCGM (Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai).

Hospitals authorities should collect swabs of all suspected coronavirus patients admitted on top priority, and guarantee reports are collected within 12 hours and should ensure patients are triaged as per the clinical conditions and shifted to CCC, Dedicated COVID Health Centres or Dedicated COVID Hospitals.

Any individual checking into a hospital be screened immediately, and after triage, a patient may be shifted or admitted. No patient is to be turned away without diagnosis and required interference under any conditions.

The director of health services should prepare the SOPs for screening, transferring, admitting and discharging of patients.

The round-the-clock team of disaster management will allocate each patient requiring admission a unique ID without which admission will not be granted.

In case of death of COVID-19 patient, the dead body should be shifted within 30 minutes from the ward and disposed within 12 hours.