Shortage of ICU beds equipped with ventilators in Lucknow
Officials said there are also 569 high-dependency beds equipped to handle patients in need of care of the level between the general ward and ICU
Lucknow, which has so far reported 469 Covid-19-related deaths, is facing a shortage of intensive care unit (ICU) beds equipped with ventilators, experts and officials said. There are just 283 such beds available in the city of close to three million people across 18 hospitals. The ICU beds account for 7.54% of the total available in Covid-19 facilities.
Experts say the percentage should ideally be 20. “ICU beds for Covid-19 patients should comprise 20% of the total beds because the number of serious patients is growing,” said former Indian Medical Association (Lucknow) president Dr PK Gupta. “Since level one treatment is now being done under home isolation, an increased number of level three beds/ICU beds should not be a problem.”
Officials said there are also 569 high-dependency beds equipped to handle patients in need of care of the level between the general ward and ICU.
The demand for oxygen has also gone up. It has increased by at least five times at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS)’s Rajdhani Covid-19 Hospital during the last one month.
“Presently, there is a consumption of 400 to 500 jumbo cylinders per day, which was between 80 and 125 jumbo cylinders per day around a month and a half ago,” said Radha Krishna Dhiman, director, SGPGIMS. “There are around 180 patients admitted to the Rajdhani Covid-19 Hospital and about 80 of them are on oxygen support. Some of them are on a life-support system and some of them are on simple medication.”
