Converting big medical instts into Covid centres solution to bed crisis, suggest Lucknow docs

LUCKNOW There is a doable solution to the bed crisis being faced by Covid patients in the city – convert big medical institutions into dedicated Covid centres instead of having small and scattered Covid facilities at different places

LUCKNOW There is a doable solution to the bed crisis being faced by Covid patients in the city – convert big medical institutions into dedicated Covid centres instead of having small and scattered Covid facilities at different places. A centralised system can also take the bed strength beyond 10,000 in Lucknow, suggest doctors.

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“The number of Covid beds can be increased manifold, if institutions like KGMU, RMLIMS, SGPGI and big ones in the private sector are made dedicated Covid centres. Right from isolation, to high dependency (HDU) and ICU beds, the shortage can be reduced considerably,” said Dr Vaibhav Khanna, director, Healthcity hospital.

At the moment, Lucknow has 31,687 active cases and there are some 3,000 beds for Covid patients in 32 hospitals. In the past three days, 13,718 new cases have been added to Lucknow’s Covid tally.

Majority of these patients remain in home isolation, but many need hospitalisation with oxygen/ventilator support.

Doctors said the need of the hour is to make big hubs for level 1, level 2 and level 3 Covid facilities, instead of a scattered system contributing a handful of beds at different places.

The KGMU has about 5,000 beds (333 for Covid patients at the moment). Doctors said the emergency (trauma), gynaecology and cardiology, along with some other necessary wings can be left out and the remaining beds on the campus can be allotted for Covid patients.

In case, the KGMU becomes a dedicated Covid facility, emergency services at trauma centre can still run along with gynaecology and cardiology wings as these facilities are in buildings on the roadside, while Covid facilities can come up in Shatabdi Hospital, Gandhi Memorial and the Associated Hospital wing.

KGMU V-C Lt Gen Dr Bipin Puri said, “We are planning expansion of Covid facilities.”

Similarly, Lohia institute that runs over 250 Covid beds has the entire hospital block for expanding Covid facility.

“With OPD closed and only emergency operations being done, the occupancy in wards has come down,” said a senior faculty at the KGMU.

“A patient’s search for a bed goes on for hours from one hospital to another… but if major campuses are made Covid centres, the search can be completed in minutes and patient can be shifted in an hour only,” said Dr PK Gupta, former president, Indian Medical Association, Lucknow.

“Delay in admission, health complexities and fatality have a direct connect. Hence, if admission is smooth and fast, mortality rate among Covid cases will come down,” said Dr Abhishek Shukla, secretary general, Association of International Doctors.

The Covid Command Centre usually takes over two hours to get bed availability cross-checked and allot the same to a Covid patient while the process of allotting ambulance and shifting takes another four hours. And with the rise in cases, several patients have to wait for over a day before they are shifted, said attendants of Covid patients.

“Medical colleges have liquid oxygen and their ICUs have ventilators with trained staff. If such campuses are made Covid centres, we can also get speedy recovery with speedy admissions,” said Dr Khanna.

“An option should also be given to big private hospitals to run as dedicated covid centres. Not 20 or 70 beds, but the entire hospital as a Covid centre so that the private sector too is fully involved,” said Dr Gupta.

WHY THESE COLLEGES?

“The KGMU has separate buildings with proper ventilation. Besides, operating theatres (OTs) here can be dedicated for Covid care as routine operations have been cancelled. The idea is to increase beds in equipped campuses where staff is trained and not where standards are not as per the national medical commission norms,” said Dr Khanna.

Apart from the KGMU, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences with over 1,000 (200 beds for Covid patients at the moment), SGPGI with 3,500 beds (250 Covid beds currently), Homeopathy College in Gomti Nagar and Ayurveda College in Tudiyaganj can help increase bed strength to over 10,000, said health experts.

“While KGMU, SGPGI, RMLIMS can be made Level 3 hospitals, Homeopathy and Ayurved colleges can be Level 2 hospitals,” said Dr Khanna.

WHAT ABOUT STAFF CRISIS?

Asked if big Covid centres face staff crisis in case health workers test positive in large numbers, doctors said in such a case reserve staff can be deployed from nearby government or even private hospitals.

“Ten nursing/paramedical staff from private hospitals should be kept in reserve and called on 24-hour notice to big Covid centes. This will give cushion to medical colleges (that run as Covid centres) in case of staff crisis,” he added.

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How making a dedicated unit helps

Era’s Medical College, which had 220 beds, was declared as a dedicated Covid facility and now has 300 beds. The bed strength would be raised to 500 shortly. The hospital administration has been asked by the state government to enhance bed strength up to 700. Similarly, Integral University as a dedicated Covid centre will have 400 beds and TS Mishra Medical College 500 beds.

The rise in number of beds was announced after these institutions were declared as dedicated Covid centres. In the past 24 hours, 121 HDU/ICU beds have been added.