Chandigarh private hospitals to keep 50% beds for Covid-19 patients

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 8

As Covid cases continue to surge, the Administration has asked all private hospitals or nursing homes with a capacity of more than 20 beds to reserve at least 50 per cent of the beds and ICU beds for Covid-19 patients.

The UT Health Secretary, Yashpal Garg, said, “The Covid infection is spreading in the city at an alarming speed and it is expected that the number of infected persons may be much higher than the infections witnessed during the second peak in April/May 2021.”

The charges will be borne by patients willing to avail of the facilities at these private hospitals and nursing homes on the rates approved by the Chandigarh Administration. The hospitals that are required to reserve seats include Eden Critical Care Hospital, City Hospital, Mukat Hospital, Healing Hospital and Institute of Para Medical Sciences, Landmark Hospital, Santokh Nursing Home, Chandigarh Kare Partners Heart Centre, and Shri Dhanwantry Hospital (run by Shri Dhanwantry Educational Society).

The orders also mention that the charges of RT-PCR test and rapid antigen testing (RAT) by the private laboratories in Chandigarh will not exceed the charges notified by the Administration. Besides, charges for CT scan/HRCT chest by the private diagnostic centres in UT will not exceed Rs1,800.

Hospitalisation remains low

Of 1,323 active cases in Chandigarh, 3.7 per cent patients (49) are hospitalised and the remaining are under home isolation. However, 134 beds have been occupied in hospitals of the UT and these include patients from other states as well.