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Hospital occupancy by outsiders a worry as cases surge in Chandigarh
Nearly 60% of the beds earmarked for Covid patients in Chandigarh hospitals are occupied by non-residents
Amid the steep surge in coronavirus cases in the city, the occupancy of critical care beds in dedicated Covid hospitals has set the alarm bells ringing for health authorities as more than half of them are taken up by outsiders.
The UT health authorities said they have made a provision of around 700 beds for moderate and severe patients in three hospitals — Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, and Government Multi-specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16.
However, as many as 381 beds are currently under use, and 162 of these are occupied by local patients.
PGIMER director Dr Jagat Ram said they have 251 Covid patients in Nehru Hospital Extension, out of which only 79 belong to Chandigarh, as 82 are from Punjab, 43 from Haryana, 27 from Himachal Pradesh, and eight from Uttar Pradesh.
Similarly, out of the 130 bed occupants in GMCH-32, nearly one-third are from Punjab.
Detailed discussion on issue
During the review meeting of UT administration, health officials and PGIMER authorities, a detailed discussion was held on the issue.
The PGIMER director said they had set up a 300-bed facility for Covid patients in Chandigarh, however, most of it has been occupied by outsiders reporting in the emergency ward who turn out to be infected when tested.
Stating that they are actively considering to expand the Covid facility, Dr Jagat Ram said being a central government institute, they cannot deny treatment to people from other states.
“Non-Covid healthcare system cannot be ignored any more. We have to strike a balance between the virus patients and those coming to the hospital with other ailments. We will see what can be done amid the rising cases,” he said.
PGIMER told to prioritise locals: UT official
A senior UT official said, “PGIMER has been told to take up the matter with the central government and also augment the facility by turning Infosys Sarai into a hospital.”
The officer added that it has been clarified to PGIMER that priority must be given to Chandigarh patients, while non-critical patients should be made to avail facilities locally in districts and that the patient inflow from neighbouring states must be regulated.
Additional beds in the pipeline
UT health secretary Arun Gupta said they are trying to increase Covid testing and add more beds for patients needing hospitalisation.
“Around 150 beds with oxygen supply will be readied in GMSH-16. Similarly, more beds will be made available in GMCH-32 and Sector 48 civil hospital, but the area of concern remains that patients from outside the city are also getting admitted here, which is beyond our control,” Gupta said.
He added that though most infected persons are in home isolation and very few are requiring hospitalisation, the rise in active caseload will also increase the need of beds.
Out of 2,484 active cases in Chandigarh, 1,614 are in home isolation, while the remaining are in city’s four Covid care centres — Ayurvedic College in Sector 47, two hostels of Panjab University and Sood Dharamshala.
