COVID-19 Pune: 20 critical patients on waiting list for ventilator beds

Pune: Despite the efforts of screening of private hospitals by Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officials, 20 critical patients in the city are on a 'waiting list' for ventilator beds. They are on oxygen support and have been admitted in small private hospitals or getting treatment at home, as big hospitals do not have the ICU or ventilator bed vacancy. These 20 critical patients are from the age group of 40 to 60 and 70 to 75.

Doctors have observed that now persons in lower age groups are also needing ventilator support during COVID-19 treatment. Dr Shrirang Limaye said, "Those patients whose lungs have been affected due to COVID-19 and feeling shortness of breath despite oxygen support, require ventilator support. Earlier this was the case with patients above 55 years of age, but now even 32-year-old patients are requiring it."

Non-COVID patients with heart and neural ailments also need ICU and ventilator beds. Especially every day 60 to 65 patients with comorbidities like asthma and diabetes are required to be on ventilator support. The district administration has appealed to mild symptomatic patients admitted in hospitals and to vacate the ventilator or oxygen beds and make them available for more critical patients. To overcome the problem of under-reporting of the availability of oxygen and ventilator beds, the PMC has appointed ward officers to inspect the private hospitals. But, despite screening all hospitals, 20 patients are critical and on the waiting list for ventilator beds.

Dr Sanjeev Vavare, Assistant Chief of Health department of PMC said, "We are reserving 50 per cent of the total beds in the private hospitals of the city. This will ensure that we have an adequate number of ventilator and ICU beds. Apart from this, we are in talks with other 14 new private hospitals and making available their ICU beds. We have arranged for oxygen beds for the 20 critical patients."

COVID-19 situation in Pune

• New patients- 1,705
• Recovered- 773
• Deaths- 11
• Serious or critical patients- 527
• Testing- 6,811

Edited by:
Khevna Pandit