ICU beds, ventilators for Covid-19 patients increased

The district administration on Tuesday increased the reservation of beds to 70%, from 50% at present, in intensive care units (ICUs) and of those with ventilators for Covid-19 patients, while the reservation of general beds was reduced to 40%, from 50%

The district administration on Tuesday increased the reservation of beds to 70%, from 50% at present, in intensive care units (ICUs) and of those with ventilators for Covid-19 patients, while the reservation of general beds was reduced to 40%, from 50%. The administration also directed private hospitals to strictly follow norms prescribed by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for admitting Covid-19 patients, saying that only serious patients, who need intensive care, should be admitted.

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During a meeting with private hospitals on Tuesday, Dr Yash Garg, deputy commissioner, Gurugram, said that it came to their notice that private hospitals were admitting patients who could be treated in home isolation as well, due to health insurance policies.

“Due to this reason, many serious patients suffering from Covid-19 find it difficult to secure admission. Patients should be admitted to wards on the basis of genuine requirement. Those who need to be admitted to ICU should be admitted there and those less serious should be treated in general wards or at home,” said Garg, adding that the hospitals must ensure an adequate number of beds, medicines and other equipment.

The deputy commissioner also said that action would be taken against hospitals that don’t follow the prescribed admission norms.

Health department officials said that at present, 185 Covid ICU beds and 48 ventilator beds are occupied, against the availability of 491 and 233, respectively, in total. As per the health department data, the total number of active cases in the district is currently at 6,460, of whom 6,018 Covid patients are in home isolation.

Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer, said that apart from following admission norms, private hospitals were also directed to provide daily data of available beds and hospitalization status on the Covid-19 portal. “There has been a surge in cases and more patients are now requiring hospitalisation, either in ICUs or on ventilators. It is because of this reason hospitals have been directed to daily update the data and ensure that there is no discrepancy in the information available in the public domain,” said Yadav.

Yadav also said that a majority of the Covid-19 patients presently can be treated in home isolation. “Hospitals have been asked to make rational decisions on admitting patients. The number of Covid-19 patients in general wards is less, so the reserved beds in general wards were reduced,” he said.