Private hospitals may begin treating novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, patients from March 26, The Economic Times reported.
Private hospitals have identified isolation wards, with beds kept at a one metre distance, the report said. The wards have separate entrances and air ducts to contain the spread of the infection.
Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.
Providing sufficient personal protective equipment (PPEs) such as face masks and gowns for the hospital staff is going to be a challenge, the report stated.
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"We have stocks but we do not have any estimate how long would these last. This is why we are going to advise our staff to use them judiciously. The government has assured us a supply chain but we do not know how," a doctor at a private hospital told the publication.
Another challenge is that not all private hospitals have the permission to conduct testing. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has so far identified only 22 private laboratory chains that can conduct testing for COVID-19.
“There is a lot of confusion as right now the approvals for testing are coming very slowly,” a medical superintendent of a private hospital told the paper.
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