More patients, but Gurgaon can’t add Covid beds

Gurgaon: The number of active Covid-19 cases in the city is now more than 37,000 and the waiting list for hospitalisations, which was over 1,400 last week, is growing. But the city has not been able to add beds as planned because of insufficient oxygen supply.
Gurgaon doesn’t have any available ICU and ventilator beds. All 2,459 beds allotted for Covid patients are full.
“My aunt is in a private hospital and they are asking her to move to a different facility as they don’t have a ventilator. I have been trying to get a ventilator bed in Gurgaon, Delhi, Faridabad and nearby areas, to no avail,” said Satabdi Sethi, a relative of a 55-year-old Covid patient.
The district administration has said increasing hospital beds for Covid patients will be possible only when oxygen supply goes up. “We cannot increase beds for patients currently. Hospitals are getting limited oxygen supply,” said deputy commissioner Yash Garg.
Several hospitals pointed out that they will take in more patients only if oxygen supply improves. “We aren’t opening up new beds for Covid patients as oxygen supply is limited,” said Dr Manish Prakash of Mayom Hospital. “The quantity of oxygen is fixed and far below requirement. Doctors have to struggle all night contacting several people for timely procurement of oxygen,” said Dr PN Kakar, CEO of Park Hospital.
The city’s medical oxygen supply improved on Monday with the government increasing allotment. An oxygen train from Gujarat will also bring a large consignment. While officials are confident this will help resolve the immediate crisis, it remains to be seen if a more assured supply line encourages hospitals to open up more beds.
Experts, meanwhile, said increasing beds is just a part of the solution. “Qualified healthcare resources like nurses, resident medical officers and intensive care specialists is a challenge at present. There is a high demand for ICU beds, which needs sophisticated training and skillset which can’t be gained overnight,” said Dr Sameer Kulkarni, regional director, Paras Hospitals.