Lucknow: Misleading information on dashboard foxes patients

LUCKNOW: Families having a critical Covid-19 patient at home are having a harrowing time as they claim that the online dashboard started by the district administration is giving incomplete and misleading information about availability of beds in city hospitals.
“When I searched the dashboard, the status of many hospitals said that there were no ICU or oxygen-supported-beds. However, the status of a few hospitals showed that some oxygen beds were vacant, but when I called to verify, the staff denied any such availability,” said Sarvendra Vikram Singh of Talkatora, who is desperately looking for an oxygen-supported bed for his critically ill 59-year-old father.
“My father’s blood oxygen level dropped to 84% and he had difficulty in breathing. We have made arrangement of oxygen for him at home but for proper treatment, he needs to be hospitalised. The administration should take action against hospitals which are putting out incomplete or inaccurate information,” he said.
The district administration had recently launched ‘Lucknow Covid Hospitals Bed Dashboard’ (https://beds.dgmhup-covid19.in/EN/covid19bedtrack), the only tracker through which people can find the status of beds in Covid hospital. The hospitals are supposed to update their status twice daily — morning and evening.
However, only 59 out of 72 Covid hospitals had put their details on the dashboard by 10pm.
Like Vikram, the family of Asha Srivastva (45), also found the information in the dashboard inaccurate. “She has diabetes which makes a Covid-19 patient more vulnerable. When her blood oxygen level dropped to 87% in the morning, I searched the dashboard and dialled five hospitals where oxygen beds were said to be available, but everywhere the staff told me that the status on the dashboard is old and all the beds are occupied,” said Asha’s brother-in-law, Parth.
“I also called up a senior health officer and he admitted that bed availability status on the dashboard is inaccurate and mixed up. He, however, helped me get a bed in a government hospital after a six-hour struggle,” he added.
District administration officers said strict warning had been issued by the government to all Covid hospitals to provide complete details about beds and update it twice on the dashboard. “We will look into the complaints and take action,” a senior officer said.
Meanwhile, long queues for oxygen refill continued on Monday.