NMC to cancel registration of hospitals violating its orders regarding COVID-19
| Date :17-Sep-2020 |
Staff Reporter :
Radhakrishnan B, Municipal Commissioner, has warned the Dedicated COVID Hospitals (DCH) in the city of cancellation of registration if they violate Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) orders regarding beds, rates, and real-time updates relating to COVID-19. The Municipal Commissioner issued an order in this regard, and circulated it to Civil Surgeon, Health Officer of NMC, all Assistant Commissioners of NMC Zone Offices, District Health Officer, all healthcare providers in city, and the Indian Medical Association. He has warned that any DCH found violating the order ‘shall be deemed to have committed an offence’ and ‘shall be liable for cancellation of registration of nursing home and offence under Indian Penal Code’ and other allied laws.
Maharashtra Government had issued notification on May 21, to redress the grievances regarding ‘exorbitant amount of money’ charged by healthcare providers from patients not covered under any health insurance product. The said notification was in operation till August 31. On August 31, the Government issued another notification extending the operation of the earlier directions till November 30. Municipal Commissioner, Nagpur, had issued notifications effective for Nagpur city in accordance with the State Government’s directions. The order issued by Radhakrishnan B stated that the healthcare providers should make all attempts to increase their bed capacity to accommodate maximum number of patients.
As many as 80 per cent of the total operational bed capacity -- excluding beds of Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), day-care, maintenance hemodialysis -- will be regulated by rates as prescribed by NMC in accordance with the State Government’s directives. The regulated rates will apply to isolation and non-isolation beds both. Thus, Municipal Commissioner is empowered to regulate 80 per cent of isolation beds and 80 per cent of non-isolation beds available with any healthcare provider. The healthcare providers may charge their ‘rack rates’ to the remaining 20 per cent beds in both the categories. However, the Municipal Commissioner stated in the latest order that there were ‘many complaints’ regarding availability of beds in many of the healthcare facilities, ‘causing hardship to many patients’.
Also, he mentioned, it was noticed that the healthcare providers were not making provision of 80 per cent of total operational bed capacity (excluding beds of PICU, NICU, day-care, maintenance hemodialysis) with the regulated rates as prescribed. Further, he mentioned, private healthcare facilities were ‘not receiving the calls’ regarding admission of the patients and also ‘not updating’ the real-time data of COVID-19 patients admitted and balance availability of beds on NMC portal. As such, many patients were facing ‘tremendous hardships causing them a lot of psychological pressures, thereby deterioration of overal health’ of such patients, he added.
Against this backdrop, Radhakrishnan B issued the latest order directing that all such 80 per cent operational bed capacity should be ‘scrupulously regulated as per the prescribed rates’ and the data of such patients be updated in real-time to NMC Control Room. Also, he directed that private DCH authorised by NMC should not admit COVID-19 patients ‘without the telephonic consent’ of NMC Control Room ‘unless the patient is critical’. In case of critical patient, the DCH concerned may admit the patient without the consent of NMC Control Room but it will have to inform the control room about such admission within an hour so that real-time data of bed availability is available to NMC for facilitation of citizens.