Bed crisis amid rising COVID-19 mortality rate in Odisha's Sundargarh

ROURKELA: Amid the rise in fatality rate, Covid care seems to have gone haywire in Sundargarh district as elderly patients with comorbidities are denied hospitalisation due to lack of beds, leaving them to fend for themselves in home isolation. 

Narrating his ordeal, a 59-year-old Covid patient of Power House Road area in Rourkela with history of high diabetes, thyroid complication and fluctuating oxygen level, said he has been suffering from fever for the last 12 days.

After his oxygen level dropped to below 90 per cent, his family members rushed him to the government-run dedicated Hi-Tech Covid-19 hospital on Wednesday. But the doctors there told him that his oxygen level was at 94 per cent and advised him home isolation. 

When insisted, the hospital authorities told him that the available beds were reserved for more critical patients.

The request to refer him to other hospitals was also turned down. He said with consistent high fever and fluctuating oxygen level, he has procured an oxygen cylinder for use at home. 

Earlier on August 8, Prof Smarajit Sarkar (52), a local, tested positive and was advised home isolation despite having comorbidities. But with failing health, he was admitted to Hi-Tech Covid-19 hospital on August 10 and three days later, he succumbed at JP Hospital. 

A senior official of the Health department claimed that home isolation may be one of the factors in the recent spike in fatality rate. As large number of patients are in home isolation, it is not possible for the Rapid Response Teams to attend to or keep regular tab on everyone.

For a patient in home isolation, sudden drastic drop in oxygen level during odd hours reduces chances of survival, he added. 

Sources said with five deaths on Thursday, the toll in Sundargarh rose to 141 from out of total of 13,135 positive cases.

A whopping 76 deaths have been reported from November 1 to 26 with 18 happening in the last four days.  

Response of chief district medical officer, Sundargarh Dr SK Mishra in this regard is awaited. As of now, the district has around 790 beds in three government Covid-19 health facilities and 190 beds in two private hospitals.