Patna, Apr 21 (IANS): Amid the soaring number of coronavirus infected cases in Bihar, the state government has ordered all private hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, pharmacies and diagnostic centres to start services with an immediate effect.

The indefinite lockdown was causing problems for the patients, following that the state government has ordered to take a strict action against the private hospitals and ordered them to start operations within 24 hours.

Issuing an order under the epidemic law, Health Department's Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar on Monday directed the private hospitals to take the information about corona patients while conducting a test and send this to the District Civil Surgeon.

In the directive issued, all private hospitals have also been asked to make arrangements for adequate medicines, equipment etc for clinical, para medical, non-clinical staff.

Kumar said: "Institutes should follow the physical distancing norms. Provide the necessary resources like PPE kits, masks, gloves to the staff. If any institute has a case related to corona then its contact history should be conducted. It should also be reported to the civil surgeon within three hours."

The number of corona infected cases has reached 113 in Bihar. Out of this, 42 people have been discharged from the hospitals after treatment while two have died.