NEW DELHI: A debate is raging among doctors on whether or not to test all patients coming to hospitals for Covid-19. Meanwhile, there has already been more than one report of a patient dying while waiting for the test results, and not from the coronavirus.
After a private hospital chain decided that it would insist on Covid-19 tests before admitting patients, to protect its staff from possible infection, the Delhi government last week issued an order stating that strict action will be taken against any private hospital or nursing home denying emergency care and that patients seeking treatment were not obliged to submit a Covid-19 negative report for treatment.
In Tamil Nadu, too, the director of medical services has warned that if a hospital or clinic denied services, action will be taken under the Clinical Establishments Act, which could include closure of the establishment. However, most states are yet to issue any policy direction on this issue.
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When about 20 big and small private hospitals and nursing homes were shut down in Mumbai after many health workers tested positive, many doctors in different cities argued that it might be more sensible to insist on the test than end up having to shut down operations, which would affect other patients too.
But the other side of the debate points out that this not only adds to costs for patients, it could also mean potentially life-threatening delays while the results