Assam health and family welfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma addresses the press
Himanta Biswa Sarma: Doctors cannot refuse treatment to patients without COVID-19 negative test report
Guwahati: Assam health and family welfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today announced that the state government will soon bring a regulation wherein doctors will be asked to treat non-COVID-19 patients wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Himanta Biswa Sarma also said that this step has been necessitated due to nursing homes in the state refusing treatment to non-COVID-19 patients unless they are able to procure a 'negative' test report.
"A new complaint has been coming in -- non-COVID-19 patients are reportedly being denied treatment in the nursing homes upon failing to provide a COVID-19 negative test report. They won't even offer treatment if the report is 2 days old", Himanta Biswa Sarma lamented.
Sarma said that many people who are suffering from ailments other than COVID-19 have been suffering amid the crisis and termed this phenomenon as a "humanitarian crisis."
"Taking the matter into consideration, the Assam Government is bringing a regulation that will ask doctors to treat non-COVID patients by wearing PPE kits", Sarma said, adding that ethical questions shall be raised on doctors who deny treatment to patients who do not have COVID-19 test reports available with them.
The health minister further added that once the long-awaited coronavirus vaccine is available, the Government is mulling inoculating the doctors and other health care personnel first. "However, if this does not come to pass, we will have to bring a new regulation which shall be brought into effect very soon", said Sarma.
Himanta Biswa Sarma also said that a new system is being set up in wherein the state government will conduct RT-PCR tests and release the result within a day. "A separate machine has been set up for patients who will need their test result on an urgent basis. A cost of Rs. 2,200 will be levied and their results will become available within 24 hours. However, we will not charge any money from below poverty line (BPL) persons", he stated.
The health minister also announced that the state's health department is also mulling to set up a 'PPE kit store' wherein PPE kits can be purchased for Rs. 800. "This amount is far lesser than the exorbitant rates being charged by the private nursing homes who are extracting sums in the thousands",