Hospitals will now have to make arrangements for treatment of suspected COVID-19 patients themselves.
The private and public hospitals, that would refer anyone suspected of coronavirus infection to the Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital in Teku, will now have to handle the cases themselves, according to the Health Ministry.
"We will implement this rule first in the hospitals with over 100 beds. It will then be implemented on all the hospitals," a ministry source told Setopati.
The decision has been taken as the patients referred by the hospitals would go to Teku taking public transportation further increasing the risk of transmission.
The ministry has instructed the private hospitals to prepare isolation beds for suspected cases and to operate a separate fever clinic. They should now keep the patients and send samples to the National Public Health Laboratory for tests.
"The hospitals will have to treat the patients themselves as far as possible and refer to Teku, Patan and APF hospitals sending the patients on ambulance adhering to all the safety protocols," the source added.
The hospitals have been sending all patients coming with problems of flu to Teku after the coronavirus outbreak.
Teku Hospital Director Dr Sagar Raj Bhandari such indiscriminate referrals add pressure on the hospital and increases risks further.
