Private hospital network plans to have its total workforce, patients tested for COVID-19

Thousands of healthcare workers and patients at country-wide facilities of a leading private hospital network will be tested for COVID-19 as a precautionary measure, the hospital group said on Wednesday.

Healthcare workers from hospitals under Max Healthcare (18,000 workers), BLK Hospital (3,000) and Nanavati Hospital, Mumbai (3,000) will be tested over the next few weeks, officials said.

The announcement was made by senior officials of the hospital network in an online press conference addressed byAbhay Soi, Chairman, Max Healthcare and Chairman, Radiant Life Care Private LimitedandDr Sandeep Budhiraja, Group Medical Director, Max Healthcare.

"Patients being admitted will also be tested first. We want to ensure safety of all our employees and patients, especially our front-line healthcare staff," Soi told reporters.

Answering a question, he said the tests will be conducted free of cost.

Max Healthcare, BLK Hospital and Nanavati Hospital are part of the Radiant Life Care Private Limited.

On Tuesday, authorities at Max Healthcare had said they planned to have COVID-19 tests conducted on its entire workforce and patients, spanning all its facilities in the country.

The move comes in the wake of a doctor, a nurse and a non-medical staffer at Max Hospital, Saket here recently testing positive for coronavirus infection.

"The tests will be prioritised with admitted patients and new patients getting top priority, our front line health workers will be next and then doctors, nurses and other staff subsequently," Dr Budhiraja said.

Pool testing will be used for the employees, while individual RT-PCR testing will be done for all the patients admitted in the hospital, he said.

Max Healthcare has 13 facilities in north India, offering services in over 30 medical disciplines. Of these, 10 facilities are located in Delhi-NCR and the others in Mohali, Bathinda and Dehradun, the group said.

The total number of COVID-19 infections has crossed 12,000 while the death toll has surpassed 400 in the country, according to official data.