24 hours on, son yet to find bed for critical father

Nagpur: Despite tall claims by top politicians and administrative officials, there was not a single bed available for critical Covid-19 patients in the city on Thursday.
This terrifying ground reality came to fore when a resident of Friends Colony contacted TOI on Wednesday night, informing that his father had tested positive for Covid-19.
He was initially admitted to a renowned private hospital, but when his RT-PCR report came positive, the hospital refused to continue treatment as it was not a designated Covid hospital. “I received a call from one of the staffers, who said I should immediately arrange for a bed in another hospital as they can’t treat him. At that time, his oxygen saturation levels had dropped significantly,” the patient’s son told TOI.
When TOI tried to contact the Dharampeth zone helpline number of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), the person on the line shockingly said he did not have a list of hospitals. “We have just started this service and we have not been provided the list of hospitals,” he said.
Following this, TOI started calling other zone numbers and concerned medical officer. It was 9pm and no one responded to calls. More than half the zonal helpline centres did not receive the calls.
Finally, the NMC Covid-19 helpline number responded, only to inform that there was only one bed available at a far-off hospital at Wardha Road. “However, we can’t guarantee whether the treatment there would be suitable for a critical patient,” the person on call said.
The son somehow managed to convince the hospital to keep his father overnight till he arranged for another hospital. On Thursday morning, he made numerous calls to as many private and government hospitals as he could, only to find out that there was no bed available anywhere.
Around 3pm on Thursday, TOI once again contacted the NMC helpline number. When told that an urgent bed was needed for a critical patient, the person on duty said, “There is not a single bed available anywhere in the city.”
When TOI asked where should a critical patient be taken, and who will be responsible for his death, the person said, “People are dying. What can we do if there are no beds available. It is the fault of private hospitals.” And the conversation ended.
Till late night on Thursday, the son had been unable to arrange for a bed. “I refused to sign the discharge papers for my father. I made repeated calls to NMC officials, tried to pull strings but still could not get admission anywhere. Tomorrow my relative has assured to get me a bed at a small private hospital. Let’s see what happens,” he told TOI at 11.15pm on Thursday night.