NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, MAY 6
To improve the healthcare system and ease the burden on the Ahmedabad civic body-run hospitals, the AMC will issue notices to private hospitals, clinics and nursing homes, asking them to reopen within 48 hours or lose their licence, an official said on Wednesday.
Most of the private clinics and hospitals in the city have closed down after the lockdown was imposed on March 25 to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has also decided to designate nine private hospitals, with an aggregate capacity of 1,000 beds, as COVID hospitals under the Epidemic Diseases Act, he said.
The AMC will also identify hotels of 3-star and lower grades with a minimum 50 AC rooms for COVID care centres with 500 beds in each zone as part of a strategy to deal with the rising cases of coronavirus, said Additional Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar Gupta, who was on Tuesday appointed to monitor works related to coronavirus in the city.
Important Message to all the citizens of #MaruAmdavad by Dr. Rajiv Kumar Gupta IAS, Additional Chief Secretary @drrajivguptaias#AmdavadFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/jLdtHpnKLG
— Amdavad Municipal Corporation (@AmdavadAMC) May 6, 2020
“Private clinics/nursing homes/hospitals to be issued notices to open their clinics within 48 hours and be notified that they will lose their licences otherwise.
“Doctors not opening their clinics will be asked to take care of patients at COVID care centres or asymptomatic patients at home,” Gupta said in a statement.
A meeting is going on in AMC under Chairmanship of ACS @drrajivguptaias along with Municipal Commissioner Mukesh kumar and Deputy Commissioners of various zones to discuss and decide strategy for #Ahmedabad. pic.twitter.com/MxNYjbd0BJ
— Gopi Maniar ghanghar (@gopimaniar) May 6, 2020
The statement was issued after the AMC held a meeting to devise strategies for various measures to tackle the rising cases of COVID-19 within the AMC limit.
Repeated requests by the government to reopen private medical facilities have not yielded any positive results.
AMC officials have been tasked with preparing ward-wise coronavirus containment strategy for all 48 wards, including testing strategy, implementation of lockdown and health infrastructure, among others, he said.
With an estimated 2000 “super spreaders” in each zone, the AMC has set a target to screen 500 such persons and suspected “super spreaders” daily by next Wednesday, Gupta said.
The AMC has also decided to distribute two lakh COVID-19 care kits, each having four soaps, as many washable masks, ayurvedic and homoeopathic medicines, in slums and localities with low-income population, he said in the release.
Gupta was on Tuesday appointed for supervision, monitoring, and coordination of works related to coronavirus in the city, which has so far reported 4,735 cases and 298 deaths.
His appointment was made after Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra was home quarantined for two weeks after coming in contact with a coronavirus patient.
Private doctors to offer free service: Ravi
To improve the recovery rate and bring down fatalities among coronavirus patients in Ahmedabad, the Gujarat government has roped in a team of specialists, including experts in the field of critical care, Principal Secretary (Health) Ravi said.
A team of such private doctors on Wednesday visited a COVID hospital to see the quality of treatment of patients, especially those who are in critical condition, she said.
They will make such visits every day, Ravi said.
“With their visits, the rate of discharge will increase and more number of patients will be able to go back home. These private doctors have decided to provide their services free-of-cost,” Ravi said.
A high-powered meeting was also held at the city’s UN Mehta Institute where doctors brainstormed over the treatment of the disease in the presence of Gujarat Health Minister Nitin Patel, she said.
“Many decisions have been taken to improve the recovery rate and bring down decrease in deaths caused by coronavirus.
“Some of the best doctors from Gujarat practicing abroad have also been roped in to provide their inputs via video-conferencing, which we will implement here,” Ravi said.
