Private hospitals armour up with COVID-19 protection measures

Private hospitals are taking extensive precautions for the protection of patients and staff amid the unfolding coronavirus outbreak, the head of the private hospitals association PASIN, Savvas Kadis, said on Friday.

When patients are referred to private hospitals from public hospitals, where critical coronavirus cases are being treated but which have also emerged as central targets of the island’s virus outbreak with several medical staff and patients testing positive, Kadis said a protocol in place requires these patients to remain in a 48-hour quarantine during which they are subjected to two coronavirus tests, with patients only admitted if they test negative to both.

Patients of private outpatients clinics are subjected to a form of interview where details are collected and evaluated to ascertain whether they should be considered suspected coronavirus cases, such as whether they have had contact with confirmed cases, whether they show fever or respiratory symptoms.

Only if patients are deemed safe doctors move to examine them, Kadis said.

Regarding the A&E departments of private hospitals, Kadis said that PASIN came to agreement with the Health Ministry to admit all patients while ensuring that appropriate protection measures are being taken.

The issue of patients being transferred from public to private healthcare facilities was highlighted last month when a rapid test conducted at the Blue Cross Medical Centre, a private healthcare institution in Paphos, found that two members of staff, and one patient who had been transferred there from the coronavirus-ridden Paphos General Hospital, had tested positive.