All mild, asymptomatic patients to be discharged within 24 hrs: Delhi govt to hospitals

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All asymptomatic COVID-19 patients and those having mild symptoms are to be discharged from hospitals within 24 hours of admission, and district surveillance officers should be reported, according to a Delhi government order.

All hospitals have been asked to strictly comply with the directions, officials said.

"It has come to (our) notice that many asymptomatic and mild symptom cases have been admitted in the hospital facilities," said the order dated June 4.

It said, as per the guidelines issued by the government and the Delhi Heath Department earlier, asymptomatic and mild symptoms cases do not require hospitalisation, and are recommended to be either kept under home isolation or sent to COVID care centres or COVID health centres, if their houses are not suitable for home isolation.

The order had been signed by Delhi Heath Secretary Padmini Singla.

Any mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 patient should be discharged by a hospital within 24 hours, and the area district surveillance officer (DSO) should be informed about it, the order said.

In the order, the hospitals have been warned that non-compliance will be viewed seriously and invite legal action "without further notice".

The move comes in the wake of family members of several COVID-19 patients claiming denial of admission for patients at various hospitals.

The Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) has shared a reporting format with all the nodal officers of COVID hospitals responsible for sharing information, officials said.

The data fee will also reflect on Delhi Corona App.

The Delhi government had recently launched this app where people can find out in real-time the availability of beds in the city hospitals.

All hospitals have been asked to add details on their daily admissions of positive patients, discharges and changes in bed availability status on a real-time basis on that reporting portal, the order said.

"In addition, it must be noted that if there are any COVID-19 suspect admissions in the hospital facility, they must be kept in a separate ward and, therefore, the number of isolation beds dedicated for COVID patients must not be allocated to suspect patients," the government has ordered.

Delhi Heath Minister Satyendar Jain on Friday said reports of "shortage of beds" in city hospitals were "misleading".