Private hospitals in West Bengal have been directed by the West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission to admit pre-registered expecting mothers for delivery even if they test positive for coronavirus.
This direction came after the commission received complaints of pregnant women being denied admission by private hospitals where they had registered themselves during the gestation period.
On Monday, July 27, the commission issued an advisory, which said: ‘In case the patient is already pre-registered, the clinical establishment will not be entitled to refuse admission on grounds that the patient is COVID-positive.’
‘The clinical establishment being uni-speciality hospital dealing with maternity cases like caesarean/normal delivery, would henceforth notify their patients coming up on a first visit soon after they conceive, a caution and/or information in a printed form documented by obtaining the signature of the patient and/or the patient party to the effect, the clinical establishment would refuse admission in case the patient would turn COVID positive, even if asymptomatic,’ the advisory said for expecting women who come to the hospital for the first time.
‘Such clinical establishment must obtain a prior certificate agreeing unanimously by the gynaecologists enrolled with them (that) their infrastructure would not support any treatment to the patient when she is COVID positive,’ it added.
An official of the commission claimed that the body received several complaints about private hospitals denying admission to pregnant women citing that they were not equipped to handle childbirth for COVID-19-positive women. Other private hospitals have claimed that they lack the infrastructure needed to take care of COVID-19-positive newborns, NDTV reported.
The advisory directed that in such cases, the authorities have to arrange for the woman’s admission to someplace equipped to handle the situation, giving at least three choices.
When it comes to non-agreeing patients, hospital authorities have to take measures to shift the expecting woman to another facility. Here, the patient party has to bear the transportation cost.
