E-Paper
Chandigarh’s Sector 48 govt hospital equipped with 15 ventilators for critical Covid patients
The strategy of the health department is to utilise around 80 to 90% resources in PGIMER and then move to Sector 48 hospital, says UT health secretary Arun Gupta
With the number of Covid-19 infections witnessing a spike, the extension building of the Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 48 has been put on a trial mode to admit critically-ill patients with the installation of 15 ventilators.
Currently, two patients have been admitted here and authorities are making arrangements to plug any loopholes so that the 100-bed facility can be used once the resources at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) are nearly exhausted.
Similarly, around 85 beds will be earmarked for high-risk Covid patients who might be suffering from other diseases (comorbidity).
UT health secretary Arun Gupta said that they have received 20 ventilators from the central government, which have been equally distributed among the two tertiary care hospitals—PGIMER and GMCH, Sector 32.
“Preparations are on for activating the facility, which shall be pressed into service if the need arises. The strategy of the health department is to utilise around 80 to 90% resources in PGIMER and then move to Sector 48 hospital. The workforce will be made available from the resources currently available with the department,” Arun Gupta said.
According to the UT’s contingency plan on Covid-19, it is estimated that 10% of patients with confirmed diagnosis may develop severe symptoms and may, therefore, need utmost and specialised care. However, only a few such patients may require to be shifted to the intensive care units (ICU) or put on ventilator support. Nevertheless, the provision of adequate number of ICU beds and ventilators was mandatory, added Gupta.
Around 360 such severe patients need to be accommodated in dedicated Covid hospitals on a peak day out of which 40 to 50 may need ventilator support.
