Hyderabad: Family members of many COVID-19 patients at Gandhi Hospital, who have been discharged by authorities, are refusing to take them back home.
Dr Prabhakar Rao, Nodal Officer, Gandhi Hospital, said there are "over 50 patients including men and women who tested positive for COVID-19" and underwent treatment at the hospital over last 10- 15 days.
"All of them are healthy and have no symptoms. We have discharged them and declared them fit for home quarantine. But their family members are refusing to take them to their residences," he said.
He said many from among these 50 patients have waited outside the hospital for hours.
"When no one from their families came to take them, we re-admitted them back to the hospital and provide them beds to stay. There are two age groups in these patients," Dr Rao added.
He said they have kept the group in the higher age bracket in Gandhi Hospital and the other group of people aged around 50 years has been shifted to Nature Cure Hospital.
"Their families are also asking us to do testing to make sure that they are negative. In this critical situation doing tests repeatedly is not possible," he said.
Dr Rao cited the case of a 93-year-old COVID-19 positive woman, who was admitted to Gandhi Hospital 15 days ago and is now fine and fit to get discharged from the hospital.
He said her family members are not coming forward to take her to their residence and she is in hospital.
In another case, an 85-year-old-person, who tested positive and got admitted to Gandhi Hospital 16 days ago, is now having no symptoms and is fit for home quarantine.
"But his family members are refusing to take him to their residence and are demanding a re-test, Dr Rao said.
Gandhi Hospital is the designated nodal centre in Telangana to treat COVID-19 cases.
