Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Mar 30: The government has directed for shifting all the patients currently admitted in district hospitals to private hospitals as all the district hospitals need to be set aside for coronavirus patients and suspects. The government has taken this decision as the number of new cases is gaining momentum.

The government said that all these patients have to be shifted to private hospitals registered under 'Ayushman Bharat - Arogya Karnataka' (AB - ARK) scheme as special cases. Till further order, they should continue to be treated there. Additional secretary in the health department, Jawed Akhter, said that money should be released under AB-ARK scheme.

Representational Image

The patients have now been permitted to directly go to registered private hospitals and private hospitals that have been chosen as alternative hospitals, without the need to go through the referral system. It has been decided to relax certain rules of Suvarna Arogya Trust to pave way for more private hospitals to get registered under the said scheme, the order explained.

In some of the district hospitals in the state where coronavirus affected patients are more, patients have already been shifted to other districts, and district hospitals are used exclusively for coronavirus suspects and patients.