Following the directions issued by the Central Government, Haryana Government has constituted a district-level committee chaired by the Deputy Commissioners to ensure strict compliance of protocols to be followed to rationalize the hospital beds and oxygen consumption for Covid patients.

The Deputy Commissioners would be the chairman of the committee, while civil surgeons would be the member secretary and nodal officer for oxygen supply, said an official spokesman.

In view of the recent Covid-19 surge, the number of Covid cases requiring hospitalization and accordingly the demand of oxygen for hospitals has increased manifold therefore the Committee would ensure an adequate number of beds in the district for the treatment of COVID patients and all the COVID hospitals get a regular supply of oxygen and essentials such as drugs, consumables, etc. required for treatment of COVID patients, he said.

In each district, the hospitals having less than 10 beds shall not be allowed to admit and treat COVID patients, except Gurugram, Faridabad, Panchkula, Karnal, Hisar and Sonipat, where the minimum number should be 15-20 beds, the spokesman said.

However, it should be ensured that the total number of beds for COVID patients do not decrease in any district. The number of beds, if decreased by disallowing the hospitals with less than 10-20 beds, shall be added in the larger hospitals, he added.

The spokesperson further said that the proposed COVID-19 Management State Protocol-April 2021 and revised Discharge Policy,  as issued by the Centre would be strictly followed in all the Dedicated COVID hospitals for the treatment of COVID patients.

The spokesperson said that it is clarified no hospital, which is not listed on the S3 portal, shall be allowed to treat COVID patients, without prior approval and any violation of the same may invoke strict action.

Formal orders regarding the addition or deletion of health facilities should be issued under intimation to the office of Managing Director, National Health Mission and office of Director General Health Services so that the details may be updated on the S3 portal.

All the Civil Surgeons would ensure that a vehicle carrying oxygen concentrator or cylinders (3-4 in numbers) is readily available to meet any exigency at any private or government  COVID hospital in the district, he spokesman said

He said that the isolation facilities with oxygen support may be requisitioned and attached with tertiary care institutions for managing pre-admission and recovering patients, which do not require intense hospital care but still cannot be discharged,  so that hospital beds are made available for most needy patients.