Nagpur: Already running short of beds and oxygen supply, private hospitals are now searching ventilators as more Covid patients are turning critical.
But many hospitals are on the waitlist for as long as a month to get the life-saving equipment delivered. Being a high-value equipment, ventilators are not stocked by dealers and suppliers but requisitioned through orders from different cities and countries.
Hospital administrations are not even able to get a single ventilator on rent either.
Industry representatives say the waiting period has always been two to three weeks but now ventilators are needed under emergency, which companies didn’t anticipate.
Doctors say even for a delayed delivery they are being demanded 100% advance.
Though hospitals allot 10% of their capacity for ventilator beds in their critical care unit (CCU), all are running full at any given time.
The hospitals had also requested civic administration to provide them around five to six ventilators like it was done in August-September but the medical colleges too are not in a position to spare any at the moment.
VHA president Dr Ashok Arbat said private hospitals are taking immediate decision. “But promises regarding augmenting government’s own infrastructure and facilities have not been met. Hence, we are facing this situation,” he said.
Kunal Hospital director Dr Shishir Shrivastav said nearly 30 to 40% patients are requiring ventilator support. “It is becoming difficult to provide ventilators to all such patients. We are under stress,” he said.
According to Dr Shrivastav, any hospital has to keep two to three ICU beds with ventilators as back up for already admitted patients who may need them. “Therefore, we are trying to buy more ventilators to cater to critical patients being brought from periphery and outside. But it may not be possible to get more ventilators till next month,” he said.
He said the admitted patients are suddenly going into cytokine storm.
A bio-medical equipment supplier said, “The wave is so fast that even we didn’t expect anything like this. Companies too are taken aback.”
Giving reason for the delay, the supplier said that they have to be imported as multinational brands are result-oriented and rarely malfunction. “So, clinicians trust these brands more. Generally, we would get orders for 2 or 3 but suddenly it has shot up to 20. The demand is highest from Maharashtra,” he said.
The supplier added that metro cities are priority for companies as they have large markets.