Action Will Be Taken Against Hospitals If They Turn Away Patients: Health Minister

Harsh Vardhan says action would be taken if a patient needing immediate attention is turned away.

Action would be taken against healthcare personnel if any patient needing immediate attention is turned away from hospitals without treatment, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has warned.

Chairing a video conference with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Health Minister Satyendar Jain and medical superintendents of major central and city government hospitals and municipal commissioners of Delhi, Dr Vardhan said he has received complaints about denial of treatment to people suffering from critical ailments, other than COVID-19.

"We need to take a serious view against this denial of treatment to patients who have been visiting hospitals in case of emergency and are being forced to visit a number of hospitals, one after another resulting in denial of immediate medical attention which may result in loss of their lives," the minister said on Friday.

He instructed all the medical superintendents to take proper care of non-COVID patients.

"It is a testing time for everybody. Patients who are really ill and require urgent medical attention are venturing out with great difficulty to reach the hospital," Dr Vardhan said.

"We should not turn them away on any kind of flimsy pretext as certain procedures like blood transfusion, dialysis etc can't wait."

He said action would be taken against healthcare personnel if a patient needing immediate attention is turned away from hospitals without treatment.

He said the national capital has dedicated COVID-19 facilities and the rest should take care of non-COVID patients.

Patients may also be provided services through tele-consultation and digital prescription, Dr Vardhan said.

"We need preemptive, proactive, and effective measures to treat all patients including those from vulnerable sections," the Union minister said.

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