PCMC takes over all Covid beds in private hospitals

PIMPRI CHINCHWAD: With a rising number of reports of patients unable to find critical care, the PCMC has decided to take over all allocated Covid-19 beds, including the ones in private hospitals.
There are about 1,200 Covid-care beds across 17 private hospitals within PCMC limits. From Monday, the hospitals will be barred from admitting those not approved by the civic body.

The commissioner of PCMC, Shravan Hardikar, said: “We will start regulating coronavirus admissions even in private hospitals. There need not be any walk-in because we will control all the admissions. We will know who is positive and when they are being admitted.” Hardikar added that the civic body is creating infrastructure to support this massive monitoring system. “We are setting up call centres and war rooms in all our (32) ward offices. Each ward office will be empowered to direct people who have tested positive in their area. Based on their condition patients will be instructed home isolation, a Covid-care unit (if symptoms are very mild) or hospitalisation," he said.
The PCMC will also monitor all Covid-19 testing, including those carried out in private labs.
There have been reports of asymptomatic patients occupying beds that can better serve the critically ill. A civic official said, “Many such asymptomatic patients have been blocking critical oxygen beds, which could have been used by those in real need. When we ask them to vacate, they claim to have support from local politicians and refuse to leave.”
The PCMC has a total of about 4,000 beds set aside for coronavirus treatment. Of these, it has about 175 ICU beds with ventilator support and 629 beds with regular oxygen support.
Hardikar said the civic body has the capability to add 25,000 Covid-care beds. “But that will not help as asymptomatic patients can recover without intensive intervention. What we need are ICU beds, ventilator beds and oxygen beds,” he said.