In Salem, three Covid-19 patients die in ambulances

SALEM: Three Covid-19 patients died while undergoing treatment in ambulances parked on the premises of Salem Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College and Hospital (SGMKMCH) on Tuesday night.
Doctors said they did not have sufficient beds to treat the patients, due to which they had treated them in ambulances that brought them to SGMKMCH from private hospitals.
The deceased were a 30-year-old woman and two men aged 42 and 45, who had comorbidities. “They died in the ambulances not responding to treatment,” SGMKMCH dean R Murugesan told TOI. “They were brought at the eleventh hour after their condition became critical.”
Of the 800 beds in SGMKMCH, 550 are oxygen equipped, Murugesan said. “At least 500 new cases are reported from the district every day. We also get patients from neighbouring districts. We can’t accommodate everyone. We have taken steps to set up an additional 200 oxygen equipped beds.”
Critically ill patients from Namakkal, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Kallakurichi, Villupuram and Tiruvannamalai are referred to SGMKMCH, which is a multispecialty hospital. “We try our best to take care of all Covid-19 patients,” Murugesan said.
Following the deaths, the hospital management set up a monitoring committee consisting of Dr Sureshkanna, Dr Pon A Rajarajan, Dr P Kannan, Dr T Sampathkumar and Dr Nagarajan. “The five-member committee will monitor oxygen usage, audit deaths and give suitable advice to the floor monitoring committee,” the dean added.
Meanwhile, a senior doctor at SGMKMCH said primary health centres and government hospitals are referring Covid-19 patients with mild complications.