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Private hospitals in Guwahati are ‘not wanting’ to treat COVID-19 positive patients, state Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in Guwahati on July 5.

Addressing a press conference, Sarma said, “Private hospitals are not willing to keep COVID-19 patients. They are claiming that they do not have adequate trained manpower, etc.”

“We are now in the process of taking over a couple of private hospitals. We will be taking over Critical Care Hospital in Khanapara area of the city as it has good number of ICU beds,” he added.

He further said that Ayursundra Hospital, with which the Health department has already signed an MoU, will start taking in COVID-19 patients from July 6, while Apollo Hospital has offered to make arrangements for 50 beds at a hotel in Guwahati.

“Even if patients initially go to the private hospitals, after a day or two they will want to come to the government hospitals as the expenses would be high there,” the minister added.

A couple of private hospitals are reportedly already treating COVID-19 patients in the city.

The Health department had enlisted the private hospitals after Guwahati started reporting massive spike in cases, with 2741 cases detected in the city in last 10 days.

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