No Patient To Be Refused Services, COVID Positive Report Not Needed For Hospitalisation: Centre Revises National Policy For Hospital Admissions

Days after the Supreme Court directed the Central Government to frame a uniform national policy on hospital admissions, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare today revised the National Policy For Admission of COVID Patients to various categories of COVID facilities. The Health Ministry has called this move a 'patient-centric measure', which aims to ensure a prompt, effective, and comprehensive treatment of patients suffering from COVID19.#COVID: 'National Policy for Admission of Covid Patients in Hospitals' Revised by the Health Ministry (@MoHFW_INDIA)- No patient will be refused services on any count- COVID Positive report not mandatory for admission to a COVID health facility @drharshvardhan @DrHVoffice pic.twitter.com/2OUYtRqKVV— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) May 8, 2021As per the Union Government directive to all States and UTs, hospitals under the Central Government, State Governments and Union Territory administration including private hospitals (in States and Union Territories) managing COVID Patients shall ensure the following:The requirement of a positive test for the COVID-19 virus is not mandatory for admission to a COVID health facility. A suspect case shall be admitted to the suspect ward of CCC, DCHC, or DHC as the case may be.No patient will be refused services on any count. This includes medications such as oxygen or essential drugs even if the patient belongs to a different city.No patient shall be refused admission on the ground that he/she is not able to produce a valid identity card that does not belong to the city where the hospital is located.Admissions to the hospital must be based on need. It should be ensured that beds are not occupied by persons who do not need hospitalization. Further, the discharge should be strictly in accordance with the revised discharge policy available at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/ReviseddischargePolicyforCOVID19.pdfFurther, the Union Health Ministry has advised the Chief Secretaries of States/Union territories to issue necessary orders and circulars, incorporating the above directions within three days, which shall be enforced till replaced by an appropriate uniform policy.It may be noted that on April 30, the Supreme Court had directed that no patient shall be denied hospitalization or essential drugs in any State/UT for lack of local residential proof of that State/UT or even in the absence of identity proof.The Court had directed the Central Government to frame a uniform national policy on hospital admissions within 2 weeks, which should be followed by all hospitals."The Central Government shall, within two weeks, formulate a national policy on admissions to hospitals which shall be followed by all State Governments. Till the formulation of such a policy by the Central Government, no patient shall be denied hospitalization or essential drugs in any state/UT for lack of local residential proof of that State/UToreven in the absence of identity proof", the Court ordered.

No Patient To Be Refused Services, COVID Positive Report Not Needed For Hospitalisation: Centre Revises National Policy For Hospital Admissions

Sparsh Upadhyay

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