Ventilators at YCM hospital. (Express File/Representational) With the city running out of ICU beds and ventilators, Covid-19 patients are increasingly left to arrange both O2 and ventilators for themselves.
At GMSH-16, all six ICU beds with ventilators are full. It’s ditto at Sector 48 hospital, which has 31 ventilator beds. Similarly at PGI, 69 out of 72 were full till yesterday. Sources said the other three beds have also been occupied now. At GMCH-32, all 17 beds were full.
Hapless patients are now seeking help from activists, journalists on social media platforms.
Here are some cases where attendants of Covid patients have been running from pillar to post for beds.
Case 1
A 67-year-old patient from Sector 8, whose oxygen saturation levels have been falling below 80 per cent for the past two days. The patient was admitted to GMCH-32 emergency briefly before being set back as he hospital had no vacant ICU/ventilator. For two days, the family hunted for an ICU bed at all private and government hospitals in the tricity. After posting on social media for help, they finally got help from NGO and now the patient is back in the GMCH emergency but they still they don’t have an ICU bed.
Case 2
A 90-year-old resident of Sector 15 who is on dialysis since last week went to GMCH 32 after her condition deteriorated. She was kept in the emergency but since no ventilator was available, the family shifted her to Max Hospital where she was kept for a night and discharged next morning because they too didn’t have an ICU bed. After seeking help on social media, the family again rushed to GMCH for help and finally managed to get an ICU bed.
Case 3
A Covid positive family of four in Sector 15 tried in vain to get an ICU bed for their 84-year-old mother before finally buying a home ICU after seeking help on social media.
Case 4
Daughter of a 64-year-old patient admitted at GMSH-16 was asked to get a ventilator for her mother as her oxygen level was depleting. The girl, a resident of Sector 56, said the hospital told her they have no ventilator. The daughter has been trying to get one, but without success.
UT Admin to decide on lockdown today
After the states of Punjab and Haryana imposing partial and complete lockdown from Monday, the UT administration will take a call on it at the war room meeting chaired by UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore, on Monday.
300 pc rise in demand for ICUs: Parida
Chandigarh: UT Adviser Manoj Parida, when contacted, said, ” ICU ventilator beds have been increased and can at best go up by 20 percent but the demand has increased by 300 percent, so this mismatch will continue. That is why we have sought private participation, screening of patients for criticality, and extensive vaccination.” He added, “We are ready for a small UT with 12 lakh people and not for a deluge of patients from far off places, including Delhi.” (Express News Service)
‘Install O2 concentrators at community centres’
“A lot of people are in ICU because they need O2 and ventilators. If we install oxygen concentrators at makeshift hospitals in community centres, there won’t be so much scarcity of ICU beds. Also, there should be a common helpline for Chandigarh patients.”Paveela Bali, social worker.
“There is scarcity of everything here, from beds and oxygen cylinders to life-saving drugs. The citizens and administration need to work in tandem to help each other or else we are heading towards Delhi like situation.”Prateek Rishi, social worker.
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