Naveen asks officials to take strong action on Private hospitals charging high rate for covid treatment
Bhubaneswar, May 12 (Representative) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today directed the officials to take strong action against private hospitals in the state charging heavy fee from covid patients ignoring the chart fixed by the government. Presiding over a meeting on Covid Management through video conferencing on Tuesday last Mr Patnaik asked the officials to keep a strict vigil on private hospitals treating the covid patients. He said the Private hospitals are bound to collect fees from the patients as per the rate fixed by the state government.
“If they do not abide by it then take strong action against the hospitals,”Mr.Patnaik asked the officials. The Chief Minister directed the officials to focus on seven points for covid management, which has been chalked out on the basis of the feedback received through “Mo Sarkar” programme. Mr Patnaik said fire safety and medical oxygen facilities in district level Covid care centres are very important and require 24 hour supervision. He directed to increase the testing, tracing and containment in areas with high covid positive patients.
The Chief Minister also asked the officials to take necessary steps after taking feedback from doctors in charge of ICU and HDU, make full proof arrangements for vaccination and to take care of the old, women and weaker sections of people. The officials were asked to make the help lines in covid hospital more active and provide information to the family members of the patients regularly. Mr.Patnaik said the officials should help the people in distress during the covid pandemic utilizing the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. He said though the number of Covid positive cases has increased many times in most of the districts of the state during the last one month, the management of the Covid virus has been efficiently done due to the hard work of covid warriors and cooperation of the people.
“The challenge is very big and the battle is very long, ‘ Mr Patnaik said, adding that Lockdown has been imposed to bring the situation under control. The Chief Minister said, “We have achieved success in disaster management with the cooperation of people and hoped that the state would also successfully handle the covid management. He said Odisha is one of the few states in the country where the government is providing everything free right from testing, treatment, food and medicine.