• Health ministry’s referral needed to admit patients
• Cases can be referred only after govt nod

Kathmandu, August 22 Ministry of Health and Population today wrote a letter to all Kathmandu valley hospitals to admit only those COVID-19 patients who have been referred by the ministry. The ministry also asked the valley’s hospitals to verify that calls seeking admission of COVID-19 patients are from ministry officials Samir Kumar Adhikari, Madhav Prasad Lamsal, Navaraj Joshi, Kumbharaj Joshi and Hello Call Centre. The ministry has listed four phone numbers of Hello Call Centre and four mobile numbers of ministry officials. Assistant Spokesperson Samir Kumar Adhikari told THT the new arrangement was made with the objective of managing COVID-19 patients’ medical care efficiently. “The new rules will enforce the one-door system and enable hassle-free treatment of COVID-19 patients,” he added. According to Adhikari, Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, Teku, which has details of all COIVD-19 patients, will first call the patients and take details of their symptoms to determine who is symptomatic and who is not, who needs hospital care and who can be advised to stay in government designated isolation centres or home isolation. EDCD, Teku, will decide which patient needs urgent medical care on the basis of details provided by the patient. EDCD will then inform the ministry, which will then refer cases to hospitals. The ministry will also direct ambulance services to transport the patient to the designated hospital. Adhikari said the ministry has directed hospitals to compulsorily inform the ministry before referring any COVID-19 patient to any other hospital. These new rules were introduced to prevent hospitals from refusing treatment to COVID-19 patients, Adhikari said. “We have seen media reports of hospitals admitting patients and later refusing to provide care or referring them to other hospitals after the patient tests positive for COVID-19. Now on, hospitals cannot do that,” Adhikari said, adding, “We have seen reports of COVID-19 patients being sent to several hospitals and some dying due to lack of medical care. The new rule will end this,” he added. According to Adhikari, hospitals can refer COV- ID-19 patients only with the ministry’s nod. “Our ministry can tell hospitals to treat the patients. If beds are not available then the ministry can tell them to refer to another hospital. This will end hospitals’ tendency to refer COVID-19 cases to other hospitals. According to Adhikari, a COVID-19 patient, who is asymptomatic and does not need hospital treatment, will be advised to stay in home isolation. If for any reason a patient is not in a position to stay in home isolation, the ministry will send the patient to a government designated isolation centre in Kathmandu valley. At present, the government has 1,200 beds in different isolation centres in Kathmandu valley. Provinces will coordinate with local levels to treat and isolate COV- ID-19 patients. A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 23, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.