Kolkata: Some budget hotels in the metropolis have proposed to act as satellite centres for asymptomatic COVID-19 patients to meet the demand for beds in overburdened hospitals. At the same time this move will help them tide over dwindling footfalls in their properties due to the pandemic, an umbrella body for hotels said.
The hotels have put forward a proposal to the hospitals about offering 200 rooms which will house asymptomatic coronavirus patients.
A meeting was held recently between the associations of the hospitals and hotels and a process is on to iron out the final details.
“Some mid-category hotels have offered around 200 rooms initially for coronavirus positive but asymptomatic patients of city hospitals. Details are being worked out and a final deal may be signed in the next couple of days,” The Hotel and Restaurants Association of Eastern India (HRAEI) secretary Sudesh Poddar said Tuesday.
Several top-notch hospitals, including AMRI, Belle Vue Clinic, Medica, Fortis and Apollo have evinced interest in the hotel-hospital tie-up foreseeing a rise in the number of COVID-19 patients amid a spurt in coronavirus cases in this city.
In the recent past, 65 city hotels had offered 2,600 rooms to quarantine people returning from abroad. But, the utilisation data is not available.
The Associations of Hospitals in Eastern India (AHEI) president Rupak Barua said: “Hotel-hospital tie-up is the only solution and the West Bengal government is also very supportive of the idea. Going by the trend, the ongoing initiative by several private and government hospitals to increase beds for COVID-19 patients will not be adequate. The tie-up will get going within this week. A private hospital has already begun the process. All major hospitals are keen.”
However, the hotels and hospitals need to define the roles, responsibilities and liabilities of each other, the HRAEI said.
The hotels also want clarity about their role in case of death of any patient due to other ailments in course of their stay in the hotel. So far, there is no clarity about medical insurance for patients staying in hotels.
Barua said, permission of the state government will be sought after finalising the arrangement with the hotels.