Haryana health minister differs with Centre's revised policy for discharging COVID-19 patients

Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij on Tuesday said he differed with Centre's revised policy for discharge of coronavirus patients and has ordered that those with even mild cases need to test negative before being discharged.

The revised discharge policy for COVID-19 cases announced by the Union health ministry in consultation with the Indian Council of Medical Research had said coronavirus- infected patients developing severe illness or having compromised immunity will have to test negative through the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) before being discharged by a hospital.

However, moderate cases of COVID-19 and pre- symptomatic, mild and very mild cases need not undergo tests before being discharged after resolution of symptoms.

“I have issued an order that we do not accept this. Till the time we get a negative result at least once, we are not going to discharge the patients from hospital,” Vij said when asked about the revised policy for discharge of COVID-19 patients.

He said the objection was to mild cases not needing to undergo tests. Commenting on the findings of a probe initiated by his department into alleged discrepancies in some COVID-19 test results conducted by a private laboratory, the minister said, “Our report has come and the private lab's test reports have been found wrong.”

“We will also write to the ICMR about this. I will have a look into the MoU signed between the state government and the lab, and see what action can be taken,” he said.

The private laboratory in question had asserted that it stood by its findings and was open to getting the samples re-tested at any government lab.

The Haryana government had last month ordered a probe after few samples reported positive for coronavirus by the private lab, tested negative in confirmation tests done at different government labs in the state.

On allegations that a government doctor in Hisar, who held the post of local COVID-19 quarantine in-charge, was transferred to the district malaria control unit under political pressure, Vij said, “I will get the matter investigated.”

“… one thing I want to assure my doctors and those on the frontline of COVID-19 duties, I cannot allow a single ‘corona warrior’ to be demoralised,” he said.

The Hisar doctor had claimed that his transfer was “politically motivated”. He alleged that he along with a team of the health department went to the house of a “politically well-connected” man to paste 'home quarantined' poster as the man had returned from Gurgaon, which has seen a surge in coronavirus cases.

But the health team had to face opposition from the family members, and a day later, he learnt about his transfer.