Covid Positive Report No Longer Mandatory For Admission In Hospitals, Health Ministry Announces Revised Policy

The new policy states that no patient will be refused services. This includes medications such as oxygen or essential drugs even if the patient belongs to a different city.

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New Delhi: Union Health Ministry has announced the decision to revise the national policy for admission of Covid patients to Covid facilities. A positive test for Covid-19 infection is no longer mandatory for admission to a Covid health facility.

The Health Ministry on Saturday revised hospital admission norms and directed states to ensure all Covid suspected patients are admitted and given access to oxygen and drugs that any patient who has tested positive would need.

The notification released today reads: “the requirement of a positive test for Covid -19 virus is not mandatory for admission to a Covid health facility. A suspect case shall be admitted to the suspect ward of Covid Care center, Dedicated Covid Health Centre or Dedicated Covid hospital as the case may be.”

• The new policy states that no patient will be refused services including medications such as oxygen or essential drugs even if the patient belongs to a different city.
• Besides this, no patient shall be refused admission on the ground that he/she is not able to produce a valid identity card that does not belong to the city where the hospital is located.
• Admissions to hospitals are required to be based on need, the policy states adding that it should be ensured beds are not occupied by persons who do not need hospitalisation.

According to the guidelines, patients suffering from mild symptoms shall be admitted to Covid Care Centers (CCC) that have been set up in hostels, hotels, schools, stadiums, lodges. Functional hospitals - treating non-Covid cases - will be designated as CCCs as "the last resort".

While the Dedicated Covid Health Centres (DCHCs) - that have beds with assured oxygen support - shall attend to mild cases, the Dedicated COVID Hospitals (DCHs) shall offer comprehensive care primarily for those who have been clinically assigned as severe, the Health Ministry has stated.

The discharge of a patient should be strictly in adherence with the revised discharge policy available.

The government had on Friday told people with Covid symptoms to start home isolation and treatment without waiting for test results, which are getting delayed due to strain on services currently.

India reported 4,01,078 new Covid-19 cases, 3,18,609 discharges, and 4,187 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per Union Health Ministry. The fatalities going over 4000 deaths makes another grim milestone of recording the highest ever Covid related deaths in a single day.