Hospitals in Lucknow & other UP districts to be penalised if found ​turning away COVID patients!

In a move to provide assured assistance to COVID-affected individuals, the Uttar Pradesh government has instructed officials to strictly penalise hospitals that refuse care and treatment to such patients. As per the orders issued by the administration, heavy fines shall be levied on the hospitals that turn away COVID patients. This announcement was made after reports stated that healthcare facilities were not admitting COVID patients, even those who required urgent care.

A measure to prioritise treatment of critical COVID patients

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Speaking about the latest developments, a government spokesperson was quoted saying, "A case will be registered against any hospital which turns down patients. It will be based on the recommendations of the concerned District Magistrate and the Chief Medical Officer. The Medical Education Department has issued orders in this regard to all the Commissioners, District Magistrates and Chief Medical Officers (CMO) in the state."

Highlighting the importance of the issue at hand, Principal Secretary (Medical Education) Alok Kumar, affirmed that it was important to prioritise the treatment of critical cases. When the state stands enveloped under the harsh effects of the second COVID wave, any laxity on the part of the hospitals can be highly detrimental for the victims of the virus.

KGMU & Balrampur Hospitals declared as dedicated COVID units

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In a bid to ramp up healthcare services for corona patients, the state government turned King George's Medical University (KGMU) and the Balrampur Hospital into dedicated COVID facilities, recently. It has been observed that the medical set-up in Lucknow is encountering humongous pressure due to the city's high active tally and patients from neighbouring cities too.

The officials further stated that there is a sufficient quantity of ventilators, bi-level positive airway pressure (BIPAP) and high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) machines in government hospitals and medical colleges. Detailing about the stock of resources, he mentioned that medical colleges and public hospitals in the state have 5,000 ventilators, 1,600 HFNC and 1,000 BIPAP machines, while there is a significant count of such devices in private establishments too.

Additionally, several colleges and hospitals in the state have oxygen plants of their own, which is highly beneficial for COVID patients. Further, there are plans to install such facilities in government institutions of Saharanpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh and Banda, and in autonomous state medical colleges in Firozabad, Ayodhya, Basti and Bahraich.