As Telangana faces a surge within the variety of new coronavirus circumstances, the well being and medical infrastructure continues to scramble to take care of the rising demand for oxygen beds and ICUs. As of Monday, Gandhi hospital in Hyderabad, which is Telangana’s premier authorities hospital for therapy of COVID-19 sufferers, has run out of ICU beds. The identical is the case at Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences (TIMS), a 1261-bedded hospital that was arrange final yr completely for COVID-19 therapy. All of the 619 and 137 ICU beds in Gandhi hospital and TIMS, respectively, stay occupied.
Whereas, based on the official knowledge, the state has ramped up the variety of complete accessible beds by 26,992 beds (from 18,352 as of September 29, 2020, to 45,344 as of midday on April 26, 2021), a better take a look at the information reveals {that a} majority of those additions are common beds that are largely mendacity vacant as of date. A comparability of hospital mattress availability on these two dates exhibits that in seven months, the state has managed so as to add solely 4,405 ICU beds and seven,264 oxygen beds. Whereas it managed so as to add 15,323 common beds in authorities and personal hospitals collectively, as many as 15,233 of a complete 19,489 common beds accessible within the state are mendacity vacant as of April 26.
Telangana has been witnessing a gradual rise in optimistic circumstances since mid-March and the Well being Division had warned of a steep rise in circumstances until mid-Could. Allaying fears of a attainable scarcity of beds for therapy, Dr. G Srinivasa Rao, Telangana’s Director of Public Well being and Household Welfare, whereas addressing the media on April 17, mentioned that the state has ramped up the variety of beds for COVID therapy from about 18,000 in September 2020 to 39,000 beds as of April 16. He had additionally said that the variety of beds was to additional improve to 53,500 within the coming weeks. On April 24, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar instructed District Collectors to instantly arrange an extra 12,000 beds with an oxygen facility and that the federal government has sanctioned Rs 20 crore for this function.
Govt hospitals added solely 872 oxygen beds, 544 ICU beds in final seven months
Telangana has an energetic COVID-19 caseload of 65,597 as of April 26. With 43 deaths reported on Sunday, the whole fatalities stand at 2,042. The restoration price has declined to 83.16 per cent. As many as 20,009 sufferers are presently underneath therapy in numerous authorities and personal hospitals throughout the state.
In the course of the months between September 2020 and April 2021, the variety of authorities hospitals with COVID wards went up from 62 to 115, and personal hospitals providing therapy for the illness rose to 981 from 230. As non-public hospitals managed to extend their variety of oxygen beds from 3,937 to 10,329 between September 29 final yr and April 26 now, with an addition of 6,392 new oxygen beds, the variety of oxygen beds in authorities hospitals elevated solely by 872 beds. In opposition to 5,604 oxygen beds in September final, there are solely 6,476 oxygen beds accessible in these authorities hospitals. Of them, practically 50 %, 3,243 beds are occupied as of date.
Equally, by way of ICU beds with ventilators or CPAP machines, a complete of 4,405 such beds had been added throughout these seven months. Of them, authorities hospitals managed so as to add solely 544 ICU beds whereas 3,861 extra ICU beds had been added in non-public hospitals for COVID therapy. The variety of ICU beds in authorities hospitals rose from 1,576 to 2,120 beds throughout the interval. On the identical time, ICU beds in non-public hospitals went up from 3,069 to six,930 beds. That is additionally when the federal government hospitals elevated their common beds from 1,688 to five,115 beds and personal hospitals ramped up their common beds from 2,478 to 14,374 beds.
TIMS cuts down 67 ICU beds, Gandhi 400 oxygen beds in final seven months
Throughout the identical interval, when hospitals had been rising their capability, Gandhi hospital decreased its accessible oxygen beds from 1,000 to 600 beds and managed so as to add solely 119 ICU beds to take its tally from 500 to 619 ICU beds. The variety of common beds, nonetheless, went up from 390 to 650 beds. As of April 26, all 650 common beds are mendacity vacant. Whereas all 619 ICU beds listed here are occupied, solely 291 oxygen beds had been vacant as of date.
Equally, a COVID-exclusive authorities hospital like TIMS, arrange in the course of a pandemic, is 67 ICU beds fewer immediately as in comparison with September final. Throughout this time, it managed so as to add solely 13 oxygen beds to take its tally from 830 to 843 oxygen beds. All the 137 ICU beds at TIMS are occupied as of date, whereas 492 of the whole 843 oxygen beds are vacant as of date.
In the meantime, in as many as 24 district hospitals collectively, the federal government may add solely 69 extra oxygen beds and 17 extra ICU beds. There are 1,781 oxygen beds at 24 district hospitals immediately as in opposition to 1712 in September final. Equally, there are solely 323 ICU beds immediately in these 24 district hospitals in comparison with 306 seven months in the past. These are hospitals aside from group well being facilities and space hospitals that cater to the agricultural inhabitants.
Different main hospitals together with Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Warangal and Authorities Common Hospital, Mahabubnagar haven’t added a single ICU mattress. They’ve 80 and 60 ICU beds respectively. The variety of oxygen beds in these two hospitals was upped by 320 and 130 beds. The Authorities Common Hospital in Nizamabad bought 18 new ICU beds for COVID therapy within the final seven months, taking its variety of ICU beds from 72 to 90 beds. 138 oxygen beds had been added to the Nizamabad hospital to up its tally from 162 to 300 as of date.
‘Healthcare system has collapsed within the nation’
As of date, about 77.Eight per cent of the whole 20,009 sufferers who’re underneath therapy throughout the state are both in ICU beds or on oxygen help. In addition to, the state in its current most capability can accommodate solely one other 3,409 sufferers in ICU and seven,042 sufferers on oxygen help. The take a look at optimistic price that stood at 0.Four % on March 14 has risen to 9.5 % on April 25, with each day circumstances rising from 157 to six,551 throughout lately. The best ever each day spike was registered on April 24 when the state reported 8,126 new circumstances.
“The healthcare system just isn’t solely burdened nevertheless it has collapsed throughout the nation,” mentioned Dr. Sanjeev Singh Yadav, Vice-President of the Indian Medical Affiliation, Telangana, including that the pandemic has uncovered the shortcomings within the medical occupation and years of mismanagement. “Increasingly more persons are testing optimistic and there are fewer medical doctors. A physician just isn’t in a position to spare a couple of minutes per affected person and is typically not in a position to do justice to the job. He ought to be capable of give at the least 20 minutes per affected person,” mentioned Dr. Yadav, stressing that there is no such thing as a one particular person or authorities guilty. He added: “The healthcare price range is lower than 2 %. Whereas tertiary healthcare is enhancing, which isn’t the necessity of the hour, the first and secondary healthcare system has collapsed way back.”
The basis reason for immediately’s disaster could be attributed to the failure of policymakers and conceitedness of the political management, mentioned Dr. Ok Mahesh Kumar, President of the Healthcare Reforms Medical doctors Affiliation (HRDA), noting that the governments had ample time to arrange for the second wave of viral infections and alert the general public. “One thing as primary as testing infrastructure is insufficient even after so many months of the pandemic. Labs nonetheless accumulate samples solely between 9 am and 1 pm and a majority of the checks are Speedy Antigen Exams. We should always have had virology labs and ample technicians in every district by now to hold out testing 24 by 7,” he mentioned.
Whereas Telangana is doing round 1.Three lakh checks a day, the whole capability for RT-PCR checks within the state just isn’t greater than 30,000 a day as per Well being minister Eatala Rajender’s admission. “Late prognosis of the an infection is resulting in hospitalisation and dependency on oxygen help whereas ventilators are fewer,” mentioned Dr. Kumar.
In accordance with Dr. Yadav, had the secondary and tertiary healthcare infrastructure been in fine condition, immediately’s state of affairs of burdening tertiary healthcare infrastructure wouldn’t have arisen. “Why are individuals panicky? It’s as a result of there is no such thing as a one down there at major well being facilities, group well being facilities, space hospitals, and district hospitals to inform them what to do. They don’t seem to be in a position to cater to those sufferers.” A 15-day lockdown, Dr. Kumar mentioned, is inevitable in the meanwhile to scale back the caseload and make ICU beds accessible.