Pune: The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) set up by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) run Dalvi Hospital will finally start functioning from Tuesday.

Rising number of COVID-19 cases in the city and the availability of beds is new struggle for the authorities. Many patients have lost their life due to inadequate facilities at the hospitals in the city.

The 10-bed intensive care unit, which was set up about two months ago, was closed due to lack of specialist doctors and staff. However, now this department and the authorities has appointed doctor's, nurses, technicians and trained staff members for the same. Meanwhile, CREDAI has set up an intensive care unit with a capacity of 10 beds at Dalvi Hospital situated at Shivajinagar. There is also arrangement of 10 ventilators.

Even in a private hospital, only paid patients are getting beds and the general public cannot afford oxygen and ventilators and the number of patients suffering from diarrhea and other infections is increasing day by day. The expert doctors and staff could not be found even after the corporation had made efforts in putting advertisement on two occasions but got lukewarm response.

"The department will be reopened after two specialist doctors and staff show readiness to provide specialist doctors from the Sassoon General Hospital will be coordinating and working," said Additional Municipal Commissioner Rubal Agarwal.

Although the question of expert doctors has been resolved, the question of oxygen facilities remains. Currently, there is a shortage of cylinders too. The PMC is trying to gain additional empty cylinders to carry oxygen by refilling them and storing for emergency.