The Impact of COVID-19 on Indian Healthcare System - Vidal Healthcare Services Pvt. Ltd.

The Hospitals and clinics are forced to postpone or cancel elective surgeries , Many hospitals had to pay as much as five times the usual..

The Impact of COVID-19 on Indian Healthcare System | May 6, 2020

The Hospitals and clinics are forced to postpone or cancel elective surgeries
Many hospitals had to pay as much as five times the usual price of the Personal Protection Equipment because of the high demand worldwide.
The number of out-patients approaching hospitals and clinics have dropped drastically
Online medical consultation platforms are witnessing a surge in number of customers.

Hospitals are being in the front line to fight COVID-19 pandemic, whether they are prepared for it or not. While they are prepping to handle a huge influx of patients, many of them are getting anxious about ensuring proper healthcare to everyone. It’s not just about the COVID-19 patients. The concern extends to those who require medical assistance for health problems other than COVID-19. Hospitals have no choice but to discourage other patients from visiting the premises unless there is an emergency. Despite being our first line of defence against this Novel Coronavirus, the healthcare sector is are expecting to face financial blows. This is because the hospitals and clinics are forced to postpone or cancel elective surgeries, which inevitably lead to a revenue drop. Most of them are cancelling procedures depending on some criteria such as:

Procedures that require a long-time stay in hospitals
Procedures that require the use of personal protective equipment
Patients in the high-risk category – older than 60 years

On the other end, they need to arrange for added expenses to buy supplies and equipment. Organising training for staff and converting the physical space to facilitate the isolation and treatment of COVID-19 patients cost a whopping amount. Some hospitals had to pay as much as five times or more the usual price of the Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) because of the high demand worldwide. It is indeed a challenge to cater to the increasing number of COVID-19 patients while continuing to provide vital services to other needy people in the community. Many hospitals are facing staff shortage as well. Impact on Small and Big Hospitals Big hospitals and hospital chain could manage the crisis in terms of space, equipment and facilities. The tremors are more experienced by the small hospitals which run on limited resources. They struggle to arrange facilities to patients as well are their staff. A private hospital in Mumbai had to shut as 26 among its nursing staff and 4 doctors test corona positive. Impact on the Morale of Healthcare Workers While healthcare workers and medical professionals are leading the war from the forefront, their morale is constantly pulled down by the attacks of the panic-struck public. There are instances where they were, and still being subjected to attacks. Impact on the Insurance Providers Insurance providers experience a drop in the pre-authorization call up to 45 per cent as hospitals prefer to postpone elective surgeries. On the other hand, the number of COVID-19 related hospitalizations are increasing with every passing day. It is indeed a challenge to manage this sudden surge in claims. What’s the Alternative? Special Packages The government should support hospitals and health centres with adequate packages to manage the expenses. Government has announced insurance coverage of INR 5 million for the front-line workers. However, more packages and incentives are needed to tackle this situation Use Technology for Tracking and Awareness We should make use of unmanned, automated technological means to avoid attacks on healthcare workers. Drones can be used to track social gatherings. We should also try announcements to spread awareness instead of house/community visits. Start Online PlatformsTo tackle the revenue-drop due to the decline in the out-patients, hospitals should move on to online platforms to facilitate remote consultation without requiring physical visits. Online medical consultation platforms and teleconsultations are witnessing a surge in the number of customers. People, in a bid to avoid hospital visits as much as possible, prefer to dial-in to seek medical advice for their symptoms. These platforms record about 30-40 per cent increase in their business. As the pandemic is expected to last at least for another couple of months, we need to find ways to minimise the damage to the healthcare sector. In the meantime, we can all play a role in changing the trajectory of this disease, save lives and thus reduce strain on our health-care system. References : https://dentistrytoday.com/news/todays-dental-news/item/6082-who-cdc-and-fda-offer-ppe-updates-for-the-covid-19-outbreak https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/mumbai-coronavirus-india-hospitals-occupied-with-covid-19-patients-with-chronic-diseases-struggle-2204113 https://fit.thequint.com/coronavirus/coronavirus-outbreak-online-doctors-consulting

The Hospitals and clinics are forced to postpone or cancel elective surgeries , Many hospitals had to pay as much as five times the usual..

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