Medics wear mask seen at Government Hamidia hospital during the nationwide lockdown in wake of Coronavirus out…Read More
While several state governments have made dramatic announcements about taking over private hospitals to fight Covid-19, it is clearly the public health system that is primarily tackling the epidemic, from identifying and tracking suspected cases to testing and treatment. What’s more, these services have been provided free to all without questions about insurance coverage or income certificates.
Barring Madhya Pradesh, where private medical colleges and hospitals in Bhopal and Indore have more cases than government facilities, in most states that identified private hospitals to treat Covid-19 cases, barely a handful of patients have used them.
In the last week of March, there was a spate of announcements, starting with the Bhilwara administration announcing the takeover of five private hospitals as the district reeled from a surge in Covid-19 ca