All mild, asymptomatic patients to be discharged within 24 hours: Delhi govt to hospitals
New Delhi: All asymptomatic COVID-19 patients and those having mild symptoms are to be discharged from hospitals within 24 hours of admission, and district surveillance officers should be reported, according to a Delhi government order.
All hospitals have been asked to strictly comply with the directions, officials said.
"It has come to (our) notice that many asymptomatic and mild symptom cases have been admitted in the hospital facilities," said the order dated June 4.
It said, as per the guidelines issued by the government and the Delhi Heath Department earlier, asymptomatic and mild symptoms cases do not require hospitalisation, and are recommended to be either kept under home isolation or sent to COVID care centres or COVID health centres, if their houses are not suitable for home isolation.
The order had been signed by Delhi Heath Secretary Padmini Singla.
Any mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 patient should be discharged by a hospital within 24 hours, and the area district surveillance officer (DSO) should be informed about it, the order said.
In the order, the hospitals have been warned that non-compliance will be viewed seriously and invite legal action "without further notice".
The move comes in the wake of family members of several COVID-19 patients claiming denial of admission for patients at various hospitals.
The Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) has shared a reporting format with all the nodal officers of COVID hospitals responsible for sharing information, officials said.
The data fee will also reflect on Delhi Corona App. The Delhi government had recently launched this app where people can find out in real-time the availability of beds in the city hospitals.
All hospitals have been asked to add details on their daily admissions of positive patients, discharges and changes in bed availability status on a real-time basis on that reporting portal, the order said.
"In addition, it must be noted that if there are any COVID-19 suspect admissions in the hospital facility, they must be kept in a separate ward and, therefore, the number of isolation beds dedicated for COVID patients must not be allocated to suspect patients," the government has ordered.
Delhi Heath Minister Satyendar Jain on Friday said reports of "shortage of beds" in city hospitals were "misleading".
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Strictest action promised after students forced to remove sacred thread at Bengaluru CET exam centre
Bengaluru (PTI): Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner Jagadeesha G on Monday said the government has decided to take the “strictest possible action” against those responsible for allegedly forcing some students to remove their ‘janivara’ (sacred thread) before entering the venue of the CET exam last week.
He said a committee of senior officials constituted to inquire into the incident reported that, prima facie, it appears the students were “intentionally” made to remove the ‘janivara’.
The city police have already booked three staff members of a private college in Bengaluru for allegedly forcing some students to remove their ‘janivara’ before entering the venue of the Common Entrance Test (CET-2026) last week.
Similar incidents last year in Shivamogga and Bidar had triggered controversy, following which the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) issued clear directions not to force students to remove any religious identification or symbol during exams.
“Despite KEA taking measures such as appointing dress code officials and providing training on dos and don’ts to prevent such incidents from recurring after last year’s cases, there has been a dereliction of duty this time,” Jagadeesha told reporters here.
“To take strict action against those responsible, an FIR has been registered, and arrests have been made. An inquiry has been conducted by senior officials, and those responsible have been suspended,” he added.
Stating that the inquiry report has been submitted at the district level, he said it will be forwarded to the government.
Based on the findings, it has also been decided that KEA will not conduct CET exams at the institution where the incident occurred, he added.
“The strictest possible action is being taken by the district administration and the government,” he added.
The deputy commissioner had constituted a committee headed by the additional deputy commissioner to investigate the incident and submit a report within two days.
“Exams have been held at several centres across the state, and nowhere else has this issue occurred. If students were forced to remove ‘janivara’ at this centre, it appears that it was intentional. We have taken it seriously,” he said, adding that strict action has been recommended to ensure such incidents do not recur.
Noting that senior officials were appointed for the inquiry, the DC said that after a thorough investigation and verification—which included statements from students, the school principal, exam observers, CCTV footage, and documents—it prima facie appears that students were intentionally made to remove the ‘janivara’.
“We are recommending strict action. The government has also ordered a detailed police investigation, and an FIR has been registered in connection with the incident,” he added.
