Governor Video Conference with the Private Hospitals involved in Covid-19 treatment

Hon’ble Governor in her introductory speech…..

I assured them that this is a healthy interaction being the same professional as them.

I told them that we are facing a very challenging situation with the pandemic.

I told them that this is aimed at building an effective private-public partnership to offer the best of the medical care to the people during the pandemic situation.

I made it clear that the ultimate aim of any medical service is to offer affordable and quality medical care to the common people and the middleclass.

I have assured them as a doctor, I can understand their problems in working in a pandemic situation like this.

I have told them that winning the peoples’ confidence is a key issue in building their trust in the private medical services.

Transparency to be maintained at every level so as to win over the confidence of the patients at every level beginning from admission counselling about the price policy and estimates preparation and extra possible costs due to the co-morbidity conditions need to be explained to the patients and their families in advance so as to avoid any negativity at a later stage.

I pointed out that people are in distress and they are running from pillar to post to get admitted in the hospitals and they are losing valuable time in getting the beds in hospitals.

I made it clear that all the good service done by the private hospitals will be undermined if they lose the public confidence on pricing and other services and if they get any negative publicity for the same.

We need to build confidence among the middleclass people to walk in any private hospital and assured of getting quality treatment any affordable cost.

I pointed out that this is an extraordinary situation where we need to work in special conditions with humanitarian approach and kind heart.

The major issues highlighted by me are expedited testing reports, improved testing facilities, and the costs involved in the treatment need to be brought down so as to make it affordable to the middleclass.

Special awareness about the Room Suraksha (Home Isolation) and offering telemedicine and video counselling to the patients under the home isolation are key to avoid rush for the beds in hospitals.

I advised them to come up with economy packages for the treatment of Covid-19 patients in their hospitals.

Major issues that I told them to concentrate on are as follows…

Avoiding delay in test reports to begin the early treatment for the needy.

Coming up with common pool of beds availability known to the people so that they would know about the availability of the beds in different hospitals, avoid running from hospital to hospital in search of beds.

Ensure the staff availability at the same time ensuring their safety.

Ensure better coordination with the insurance companies to accept the health cards for the treatment. 

Hospitals need to offer video, consultation and counselling and telemedicine facilities and round-the-clock availability in offering services to the home quarantine patients.

Special arrangements and preference must be given to the pregnant women with covid-19 conditions.

Hospitals need to come up with moderate charges and economy packages for making the treatment affordable.

Hospitals need to launch efforts to improve the infrastructure and beds with oxygen facilities and ventilators to face the further surge in the number of cases.

We all need to work with concern and good relations to build public-government and private partnership to face the pandemic situation.

The Covid-19 spread curve must be flattened with the combined efforts of the people, government and the private initiatives.

Our State is considered as the Pharma Hub and we need to live up to that recognition by making all the life-saving drugs available to the people.

I have advised them to come up with the Plasma Bank to offer Plasma therapy for those in need. Patients must be connected, counselled and comforted and at the same time made to feel confident by our concerted efforts.

My prime concern as the first citizen of the State is that no patient in Telangana should be denied of treatment in any given condition.

“I made it clear that not even as the first citizen of the State, as one among the common citizen” I want the cost-effective and best medical care of the patients available in the State all the time and especially at this extraordinary pandemic situation.

ABSTRACTS:

Governor appealed the private hospitals with isolation ward to inform the beds availability, nominal charges for Beds, nominal charged packages for Covid patients particularly for middle class and to take care of the people of Telangana with good medical care at a low cost.  She requested this mentioning that she is not requesting this as a “First Citizen of Telangana but as one among the common citizen of Telangana”.

She appreciated the private hospitals for participating and expressing their valid views with the short notice.  Some of the views explained by the private doctors are as follows:

(1) The covid test takes only six hours for the procedure.  But it takes 12 to 24 hours even 48 hours to get the results.  This undue delay make difficult to decide the admission, treatment and creates all confusion on decision making. 

(2) The availability of beds can be announced by the government by making a general pool information system.  So that patients are not put in to trouble in finding the beds.

(3) Non-availability of beds is not only non-availability of infrastructure but also non-availability of staff.  A supportive system should be there like adequate insurance to medical fraternity.

(4) Most of the hospital beds are occupied by people with mild symptoms who can be home quarantined.  Because they are not having isolation facilities in their homes, they occupy the beds which could be occupied by serious patients.  Hence government should organise good comfortable quarantine centres for such patients with mild symptoms.

(5) The medicines like Remvesivir are expensive.  Hence, government should come up with a scheme to get these medicines at a concessional rate.  Most of the bills are highly charged because of high cost of medicine which are not included in the packages.

(6) Pulmonologists (Chest Specialists) attended the virtual meeting highlighted an alarming situation that there is a likelihood of increase in number of cases drastically in coming months.  Hence, multi-bedded hospitals with thousands of beds should be made ready by the government to prevent last minute confusion, if it happens.

(7) There should be a clear public private government participation.  Government should include the private health facilities in combating the challenge, so that government and private sector together can face the challenge successfully.

(8) Government can come up with “Plasma Bank”, as plasma therapy is successful in some critical cases.  

(9) Patients approach hospitals with unnecessary panic mind set.  Eight out of Ten are mild cases.  Hence, government should come out with good awareness programme to highlight the situation.  

(10) Government should strengthen home care system with monitoring the supply of pulse oximeter, thermometer.  They can be monitored by surveillance centre manned by doctors 24X7.  This will reduce the burden on hospitals.

(11) With Rapid Antigen Test, the result can be known in half-an-hour.  Therefore, it should be immediately organised by the government, as some states have started the Antigen testing.

(12) The government should take concrete steps to flatten the curve by increasing the number of tests and tracing on a war footing, as this could be a major solution.

(13) Governor appealed to appoint admission counsellors and social workers to facilitate beds in the sister concern hospitals.  

(14) A transparent system explaining the cost of treatment to the patients is to be carried out.

(15) Finally the Governor appealed the private hospitals to give the best quality treatment at low cost for common public.

Representatives from CARE, Apollo, Yashoda, Continental, Gleneageals, KIMS, Malla Reddy, Global, Sunshine and Basavatarakam memorial hospitals were among others who took part in the meeting.

-Press note