Telangana: Six hospitals barred from treating COVID-19 patients

Hyderabad: Cracking its whip against errant healthcare centres, Telangana’s director of Public Health and Family Welfare department on Monday revoked the permission of six more hospitals from treating COVID-19 patients. With this, so far 16 hospitals have been barred from admitting COVID-19 patients, based on complaints from the general public.

The latest hospitals that have been barred from admitting COVID-19 patients are: Padmaja hospital, KPHB, Medchal, Lifeline Medicure hospital, Alwal, Max Care hospital, Warangal (Urban), TX hospital, Medchal, Lalitha hospital, Warangal (urban) and Sri Sai Ram hospital, Sanga Reddy. Prior to this, five more healthcare centres also had their permissions revoked, and a total of 6 hospitals have been barred from taking COVID-19 cases in the state.

So far in Telangana, a total of 166 complaints have been received against hospitals by families of COVID-19 patients, and 105 hospitals have been issued show cause notices by the Public Health and Family Welfare. The complaints by the public pertain to excess and irrelevant charges in addition to the prescribed norms, mismanagement and lack of proper attention with regard to treating COVID-19 patients.

On May 28, the state government Friday revoked the permission of Virinchi Hospital at Banjara Hills to treat COVID-19 patients, after a complaint was filed against it for medical negligence by its doctors and staff, and for violating treatment protocols. The complaint was lodged by relatives of a man named Vamsi Krishna, who died there while undergoing treatment two days ago, after which some of his relatives ransacked the healthcare centre.

The order revoking Virinchi Hospital’s permission to treat COVID-19 patient was signed by Telangana’s Publuch Health and Family Welfare department director, who issued a show cause notice to the hospital after the complaint was lodged. “But, the hospital parties failed to submit any explanation to the show cause notice issued by this office regarding medical negligence in treating theCOVID-19 patient,” said the director’s order, dated May 28.