As the first official phase of lifting the lockdown – Unlock 1 – has been put in place, Mumbai has come up with a special move for private hospitals in the city.
A team of five IAS officers have been appointed to ensure these hospitals are adhering to the rules as there have been complaints of patients being refused admission and of overcharging those who have already been admitted, reported NDTV.
Meanwhile on Monday, 8 June, Maharashtra fatalities again shot past the 100 mark with 109 deaths, while the COVID-19 case tally in Mumbai city has already crossed the 80,000 mark, health officials said, reported IANS.
The state reported 2,553 new cases of COVID-19 and 109 deaths, taking the tally in the state to 88,528 and the death toll to 3,169.
The Maharashtra government has acquired 80 percent of the beds in all private hospitals amid fears that the lifting of the lockdown will lead to a spike in cases and the requirement for more beds.
Last week, Health Minister Rajesh Tope had visited the hospitals and found lapses that included charges not being displayed and patients being refused beds.
“If private hospitals don't give us the beds that we need according to the order, it is not right. I visited the private hospitals personally and found several lapses. We have issued a showcause notice,” the minister told reporters.
The IAS team is also required to update real-time data about the availability of beds and make sure hospitals are not turning away any patients.
(With inputs from IANS)
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