Private hospitals reluctant to admit COVID-19 patients

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The private hospitals in Karachi have expressed their reservations over the government’s demand for reserving 10 percent of their beds for treatment of coronavirus infected patients and suggested to the authorities to first utilize the public sector facilities to the optimum. 

The President of the Private Hospitals and Clinics Association (PHCA), Dr Syed Junaid Ali Shah, in a statement issued on April 9, noted that the private hospitals were together with the government in its war against coronavirus but were against the idea of mixing regular patients with corona patients at hospitals. 

“It will be unfair as Italy, France and UK have also said that it was their mistake to mix the corona patients with others,” he added and elaborated the point of view further by questioning how 10 percent of intensive care units could be given to corona patients. 

“Most hospitals have one ICU and if one goes with the government’s requirement then it will mean nine regular patients and one corona patients in a 10 bed ICU,” the PHCA President said.

Earlier during the day a meeting of the committee named ‘Private Hospitals Core Committee on Covid-19’ was held with the Sindh Minister for Health, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, also the Chairperson of the committee, in the chair. According to the PHCA press release, Dr Salman Faridi of Liaquat National Hospital, Dr Asim Hussain of Dr Ziauddin Hospital, Dr Abdul Bari Khan of the Indus Hospital, Dr Sadia Rizvi of South City Hospital Dr Zerkais Anklesaria and Dr Aijaz Ahmed Khanzada, Chief Technical Advisor for Secretary Health attended the meeting. 

It was decided that a control and command center will be made by the Sindh government under Dr Abdul Bari and the private hospital will provide consultants in special fields and be available to this control and command center. 

It was observed at the meeting that there are already 1,000 beds available at the government disposal for the accommodation of the corona patients and as such all hospitals should not be infected while other patients also needed urgent care with majority of them being elderly. 

The private side said that once the 2,200 beds including Indus Hospital, Dow International and AKU as well as field isolation center became full of corona patients then other hospitals should be enlisted by the government after providing them with necessary safety equipment and medicines for coronavirus cases. 

The private sector assured that they will provide both equipment and manpower support as needed once the Sindh government faced shortage of beds. 

The meeting decided that a portal in the health department of Sindh will be created by the focal person on Coronavirus, Dr Abdul Bari and a complete handbook of COVID-19 prevention and treatment of the Sindh government will be posted in three parts, prevention and control management, diagnosis and treatment and nursing and consulting services, the press release added.