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Pune hospitals claim updates on bed availability not reflecting on Covid Care dashboard
This includes government and cantonment hospitals and private hospitals, including Jehangir Hospital, Noble Hospital and the Sahyadri hospital
The ‘Covid Care Software’ dashboard, newly launched by the Pune divisional commissioner, which shows real-time data of availability of beds currently displays no isolation beds available in 19 out of 82 hospitals allocated for Covid-19 treatment in the city.
This includes government and cantonment hospitals and private hospitals, including Jehangir Hospital, Noble Hospital and the Sahyadri hospital.
As per the dashboard, of the 24,292 beds which have been allocated for Covid-19, 9,976 were vacant as of Monday evening. Also, of the 76 allocated ICU beds with ventilators, only eight are vacant and available.
PMC Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad said, “Currently there is no shortage of beds in the Covid care centres for those who do not require critical care. Many people eligible to be discharged are also housed at the centres as they live in slum areas. The shortage is likely to be in critical care, like those who might need ICU or ventilators. For that too, we will take out individual orders for the 100 hospitals eligible for 80 per cent of reservation of beds. We are in the process of issuing orders.”
Dr (Col) Satyajit S Gill, medical director at Jehangir Hospital said, “Yes, we are running full, but this is a dynamic thing as we keep discharging patients and we have beds for more patients. Also we do accommodate suspected patients who are awaiting results, but could be possible suspects based on their X-ray, oxygen saturation and other symptoms.”
Dr H K Sale, executive director of Noble Hospital, said, “It is true that our hospital’s isolation beds are full, but often the dashboard is also not up to date and shows old data, even though we do keep updating it. Also, we do ensure that we have at least two ICU beds available for emergency and on standby. “
Dr Sunil Rao, group medical director at Noble, said, “The dashboard does not give real-time data and we have conveyed this to the civic body and other authorities repeatedly. We have been sending updates twice daily. However, I guess it would take at least a few more days for the data to be synced completely. Two of our hospital branches are full and most of our ICU beds and ventilators are also occupied.”
With increasing cases in Cantonment areas, the Cantonment hospitals are also reporting no vacant isolation beds, which includes Khadki Cantonment Board’s Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Cantonment General Hospital and Khadki Sports Complex which totally have 40 allocated isolation beds together.
Pune Cantonment’s Sardar Vallabhai Patel hospital which has 70 allocated isolation beds also has no vacant beds and Dehu road Cantonment board’s Dr Babasaheb Cantonment General Hospital and the Dehu road Covid Care Centre at the MG School has 10 allocated isolation beds, that currently show not vacant on the dashboard.
Big worry
Allocated beds: 24,292
Vacant beds: 10,022
Allocated beds for isolation: 13,611
Vacant beds for isolation: 9,935
Allocated beds for ICU: 298
Vacant beds for ICU: 87
Allocated isolation with bedside/central oxygen: 841
Vacant isolation with bedside/central oxygen: 220
Allocated of ICU beds with ventilator: 76
Vacant ICU beds with ventilator: 8
