LUCKNOW: In view of the exponential surge in cases in Lucknow, the state government has decided to convert
KGMU and
Balrampur Hospital into dedicated Covid-19 facilities.
The move is likely to increase the Covid bed strength in the city by 2,500-3,000. Efforts are on to increase the capacity of these units over the next two days.
In the order, additional chief secretary health and family welfare, Amit Mohan Prasad, said, “Following a decision taken in the high level meeting, KGMU and Balrampur Hospitals with their full bed strength will be acquired and converted into Covid hospitals with immediate effect. Non-Covid care in these hospitals will be stopped till the crisis situation eases out.”
Soon after, the KGMU administration announced that all the non-Covid emergencies, except cardiology and obstetrics, will be diverted to other government hospitals. The order will be put into effect from April 19, said KGMU spokesperson Dr Sudhir Singh.
The move, however, has not gone down well with many including KGMU faculty and non-Covid patients and poses a big challenge to government hospitals.
Already, KGMU – a multispecialty medical centre considered to be the lifeline of Lucknow and is preferred by patients, particularly economically weaker sections across the state - has suspended OPDs in many departments, except for those dealing with cancer treatment.
Now, it will stop taking emergency patients through the Trauma Centre. This means, entire burden of the KGMU will fall on government hospitals. According to senior faculty members, KGMU has over 3,000 beds in all the 75 odd departments taken together. At present, about 700 patients in various departments are getting treatment.
Further, the bed strength of the Trauma Centre is 162 with 10 operation theatres. It daily caters to 1,000 major and minor emergency cases related to medicine, surgery, orthopedic and neurosurgery among others.
The cause of concern among people is mainly the management of emergency cases. There are 11 government district hospitals in the city including Balrampur Hospital, SPM Civil Hospital, Lokbandhu Hospital, RSM Hospital.
“Of these 11 hospitals, three have already been converted into Covid hospitals. The rest altogether have around 160 beds in emergency wards. Three of them are for gynecology with 60 emergency beds and the other five have about 100 emergency beds. Most of them do not have specialized treatment expertise and infrastructure and refer complicated cases to KGMU,” said a senior KGMU faculty member.
The only option for multispecialty emergency treatment will now be available at RMLIMS which has around 50 emergency beds, he added.
“What will happen to the non-Covid patients particularly those needing tertiary care expertise and infrastructure?” asked Dr PK Gupta of the Indian Medical Association.