Punjab Govt may use private health infrastructure to combat pandemic

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 5

As the number of Covid cases rise in Punjab, the government is thinking of following the “Mohali prototype” to ensure adequate healthcare facilities are at its disposal.

With the state having a robust private healthcare set-up vis-a-vis the public sector, the government proposes to use provisions under the Disaster Management Act that will allow it to use the private healthcare infrastructure in case of any contingency.

This has so far been done in Mohali, where Deputy Commissioner Girish Dayalan has used the Act to ensure that private hospitals do not shy away from their responsibility during the crisis.

Suresh Kumar, Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, told The Tribune that in case of any urgency, this would be adopted across the state.

By enforcing Section 34 of the Disaster Management Act, the Mohali administration has procured exclusive or preferential use of amenities (private healthcare facilities) from any authority or person for assisting, protecting or providing relief to the community in response to any disaster-like situation or a disaster.

So far, 70 persons have tested positive for Covid and over 2,000 quarantined. Most of the patients are under treatment at government-run hospitals.

Government officials have told The Tribune that they have been asking for the inventory (beds and other provisions) from 7,500-odd private hospitals and nursing homes, but they found that the number of beds were being under-reported.

The government wants the inventory of beds so that some beds can be set apart and prepared for creating isolation facilities in every public and private hospital. Since the charges to be paid to the private hospitals for these facilities will be on a par with government hospitals, reportedly profiteering motives have prevented medical institutions from coming forward.

Most of the private hospitals, which had initially been turning away patients with symptoms of Covid, have now reportedly closed down their OPDs. Government officials believe that almost 80 per cent of the 7,500 odd private hospitals/nursing homes have closed down their OPDs, prompting the Chief Minister to warn them of licence cancellation.

‘Mohali prototype’

By enforcing Section 34 of the Disaster Management Act, the Mohali administration has procured exclusive or preferential use of amenities (private healthcare facilities) from any authority or person for assisting, protecting or providing relief to the community in response to any disaster-like situation.

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