Ghaziabad hospital to set up ward for SARI patients

GHAZIABAD: The MMG District Hospital, which has been receiving about 10 patients with breathing difficulties on an average daily, is setting up a 30-bed dedicated severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) ward to deal with such cases.
Initially, the patients will be provided oxygen support through a BiPAP machine, and if the condition does not improve, with a ventilator.
Their preliminary Covid test will be done through the Truenat machine at the hospital, while a sample will be sent to Meerut Medical College for confirmation. If the patient tests positive, he or she will be referred to a Covid hospital. Till the time the report comes, the patient will be kept at the hospital.
The hospital will buy two BiPAP machines initially and later increase the number to six. Two ventilators are already available. The burns ward is being converted to treat SARI patients.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a SARI case is defined as one with acute respiratory infection with a history of fever and cough and requiring hospitalisation.
The move comes after many Covid-19 patients who died in the city had complained of difficulty in breathing, apart from other ailments. In several cases, doctors attributed their death due to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). So far, Ghaziabad has reported 14 Covid-related deaths.
Officials said early detection of SARI patients may help in reducing the number of Covid casualties by providing timely intervention in the golden hour of treatment. However, due to lack of awareness or other reasons, many people who experience breathing trouble usually avoid going to the hospital, they added.
Dr VB Jindal, the president of Indian Medical Association (IMA), said, “Such a clinic is the need of the hour. SARI is basically a screening tool for Covid-19. It is used to identify people having difficulty in breathing.”