Glaring inadequacy: Telangana has just 56 standalone COVID-19 hospitals, one of the lowest in India

HYDERABAD: A day after Telangana received a pat on its back from the Central government for low mortality rate among Covid-19 patients, the data released in Rajya Sabha on Sunday indicated a glaring inadequacy in the medical infrastructure to deal with pandemic in the State.

Telangana has one of the lowest number of standalone Covid-19 hospitals in the country. Just 56 such hospitals exist in the State and these cover only 18 of the 33 districts. 

The difference between the number of standalone Covid-19 hospitals in Telangana and other States is very contrasting.

For example, among the South Indian States, Andhra Pradesh has 581 standalone Covid-19 hospitals, Tamil Nadu 1,259, Karnataka 1,809 and Kerala 327.

In fact, only Goa, smaller North Eastern states and Union Territories have lower number of dedicated Covid-19 hospitals than Telangana.

It is not just the number of standalone Covid-19 hospitals that are less in Telangana but also the number of available oxygen or ICU beds in these hospitals, which are lower than most States.

The 56 standalone Covid-19 hospitals in Telangana have 2,794 beds with oxygen facility and 1,782 ICU beds, which are one of the lowest when compared to similar hospitals in most other states.

These numbers are lower than even the states where the number of active Covid-19 cases is lower than Telangana.  

The number of isolation beds in these hospitals for confirmed and suspected cases are also one of the lowest.

The 56 hospitals have 15,604 isolation beds, of which 14,814 are for confirmed cases and 790 are for suspected cases.

It may be mentioned here that according to the data presented in Lok Sabha recently, Telangana falls behind even in testing than most states.

Between September 9 and 15, the State conducted just 426 tests per million population per day as compared to the national average of 683.  

Telangana lags behind in ICU beds too

The 56 standalone Covid-19 hospitals in Telangana have 2,794 beds with oxygen facility and 1,782 ICU beds, which are one of the lowest when compared to similar hospitals in most other states.

These numbers are lower than even the States where the number of active Covid-19 cases is lower than Telangana.