If the Telangana government led by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has its way, all the private medical colleges in the state would come under the control of the government and be converted into exclusive hospital for Coronavirus patients.
Telangana health minister Etela Rajender said under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, the State government has the authority to take control of private medical establishments for providing medical facilities during a pandemic.
Rajender urged the private medical college managements to take necessary measures to improve their facilities, including attached teaching hospitals, and hand them over to the Health Department.
“We are grateful to all private medical colleges who have come forward to help us in providing healthcare facilities to Covid-19 positive patients,” he said.
The Minister also requested these colleges to stop all outpatient services in tertiary hospitals that are attached to them from Monday and allocate all their resources for the treatment of coronavirus patients.
“In another week, the private medical colleges must be ready to receive Covid-19 patients,” he said.
Rajender promised the healthcare workers from these colleges enough supply of Personnel Protection Equipment (PPE), N95 masks etc that are needed while providing care to Covid-19 patients.
“We will provide enough passes for free travel and are also ready to provide transport and food facilities to all healthcare workers at the private medical colleges. If the managements can provide such facilities on their own, then the government will pay for it by releasing adequate funds,” he said.
