A Delhi medical body has slammed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for "issuing warning" to hospitals amid rising cases of Covid-19 in the national capital, officials said.
The Delhi Medical Association (DMA), in a statement, also condemned the FIR filed against the authorities of the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, a leading private facility that has been charged with "violating rules for registering coronavirus tests".
"Delhi Medical Association strongly condemns the way Delhi CM (chief minister) is warning the doctors and threatening the hospitals about COVID-19 patients’ admissions and tests," the DMA said.
"Doctors who are serving the people of Delhi tirelessly from last two months in this pandemic crisis risking their lives feel insulted by the way they are being treated," it said.
Kejriwal on Saturday warned of strong action against some private hospitals allegedly refusing admission to Covid-19 patients and involving in "black-marketing" of beds, and said his government is going to issue an order stating that hospitals cannot deny treatment to such people.
The decision comes in the wake of several complaints that people showing symptoms of coronavirus infection are not allowed to get admitted in various facilities. Several people had taken to social media to complain that they have been unable to get their relatives tested at Delhi hospitals or get them admitted. Kejriwal said his government has taken note of the matter and decided to deploy medical professionals at each private hospital to keep a tab on available beds.
The Delhi government will depute medical professionals at all hospitals who will update availability of beds for coronavirus patients at an official app and ensure admission of such patients, he said.
"Hospitals are backbone of healthcare and are serving the patients COVID or non-COVID," the DMA said, and alleged, "they are being penalised and government instead of praising their efforts is issuing new diktats daily".
"Doctors of Delhi are already overworked and overstressed in this hour of pandemic crisis and the state government is unnecessarily putting pressure on healthcare systems," the statement said, claiming the support of its 15,000 members.
The medical body demanded a coordination committee for medical professionals and the Delhi government; adequate testing facilities; smoother patient transfers and cremations; and nodal officers for overall coordination of COVID-19 care, the statement said.
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