Bihar: Bettiah hospital on toes as patients double

BETTIAH: Even though maximum Covid positive patients in West Champaran district are in home isolation, the earlier trickle of serious patients to the 120-bed Covid ward at the Government Medical College and Hospital at Bettiah is now rising rapidly.
“Sixty-five patients, all on oxygen support, are undergoing treatment in the Covid isolation ward. Five of them are on ventilator support,” hospital superintendent Pramod K Tiwary told this newspaper on Saturday.
By the time of filing this report in the evening, the number of patients had risen to 72. In just over two days, admissions have more than doubled.
“We fear an exponential rise in admissions now,” Tiwary said, adding by Monday, another facility with 90 additional oxygen beds will be added. “In fact, we have further made a separate 30-bed isolation ward with oxygen support for patients we now find coming with negative test reports. Yet, their signs and symptoms aided with radiological findings suggest Covid affliction,” the superintendent said, adding two such patients have already been admitted.
Twelve ventilator beds are operational and the hospital administration has promised to raise the facility to 55 ventilators by Monday.
Meanwhile, state BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal, also the local MP, who had visited the hospital earlier this week and had vowed to get the brand new yet inoperative oxygen plant at GMC functional, made good his promise on Saturday.
“Sixty beds in the isolation ward are attached to the oxygen supply from the plant. In addition, we are getting 250 cylinder fills from the liquid oxygen plant in Harsidhi daily,” Tiwary said, adding the GMC is breathing easy on this front. “Our oxygen supplies will be augmented if needed,” he said.
Outlining the mode of treatment, Tiwary stressed on a five-pronged strategy in place: oxygen, blood thinner, steroids, vitamins and antibiotics. “We do not have any anti-viral drugs like Remedisivir but their role is rather limited,” he said.
Since April 11, 34 Covid patients have died in the district, 11 of them since Friday afternoon alone. Civil surgeon dr Arun K Sinha said 2,530 Covid active cases were reported till Friday evening. “The number of containment zones has been raised to 175. These include 107 in rural areas and 68 are in the towns,” the civil surgeon said.