Healthcare system on the edge, no ICU beds vacant

Naina Mishra

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 2

The healthcare system in Chandigarh is on the edge with hospitals unable to handle the relentless inflow of patients and running out of ICU beds.

Not even a single ICU bed was vacant in Chandigarh today at the three government hospitals. Doctors treating Covid patients say the fatalities have increased in the city due to exhaustion of hospitals beds.

Prof GD Puri, who is heading Covid-19 management at the PGI, said, “Except for oxygen availability, our situation is in tandem with Delhi. Our emergency wards are full with Covid patients. There is a waiting list of patients who require ICU beds. The fatalities are a result of overburdened hospital capacities.”

“We are trying our best to handle Covid patients and prioritise those who are more severe and require ICU bed. We also try to step down serious patients from ICU beds to vacate the beds, but only after ensuring that they are stabilised,” said Professor Puri.

“Not even a single ICU bed is vacant in the tricity today. I feel helpless and frustrated for not having been able to help patients. My hands are tied up,” said Prateek Rishi, who runs NGO Raine Foundation and has been helping Covid-19 patients in looking for ICU beds.

“Our patient couldn’t take the transfer hiccups from Apollo to the GMCH-32. He crashed shortly after relocation and died. The culprit is shortage of ICU beds,” said Ajay Rana, an attendant of the patient.

RS Bedi from the Indian Medical Association, Chandigarh, said, “Limited resources in hospitals have already been exhausted, though the full impact of this wave is yet to be seen. I was able to arrange beds for patients a week ago. However, for two days, I have not been able to arrange a single bed because the situation is that we have no beds to cater to the patient load.”

Bedi said, “We need to impose a lockdown for at least 10 days and restrict the entry of people to Chandigarh without a negative RT-PCR test on the lines of Punjab. We need to augment resources as per the population and rate of infection.”

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