Vijayawada: Frenetic search for a bed in hospital ends up in despair

VIJAYAWADA: Shortage of beds in government and private Covid hospitals in Krishna district is creating panic and chaos as thousands of families are helplessly watching the pathetic condition of their relatives writhing in pain due to Covid infection. They are making frenetic phone calls to the hospitals and control room numbers requesting for the bed to save their dear ones.

The district administration has announced the names of 56 Covid hospitals with 3600 beds. The total beds available are only 3600, while the active cases in the districts are more than 7500. Elderly and other people with co-morbidities desperately need bed and medical care in hospitals.

As per the bulletin released by State Command Control on Wednesday, the active cases in Krishna district are 7589. The gap between the Covid patients and availability of beds is increasing day by day and it is creating chaos in the district.

For multiple reasons, the Covid pandemic spread very fast in the second wave in the district and State. Many elderly people, Covid patients with co-morbidities are panicked due to shortage of Covid beds. At the same time, Covid deaths in the district and State are also creating fear among the patients and their family members.

The covid scenario changed drastically in one month period and went out of control due to spike in infection case in the State. On March 28, only 135 positive cases were reported in the district and total active cases were only 722.

The total Covid deaths were 684 in the district.

However, the new infections increased drastically by April 28 compared to March 28. On Wednesday, 486 cases were reported and the cumulative cases shot up to 7598, which are more than 10 times compared to March 28. Besides, the Covid cases in neighbouring West Godavari and Guntur districts also increased in April.

Demand for beds in the Government General Hospitals in Vijayawada and Guntur and private hospitals increased and all beds were occupied in the second and third week of April.

Now, the new Covid patients are not able to get beds. Consequently, the Covid patients and their family members are panicked with unstable health condition and non-availability of beds. The desperate family members of Covid patients particularly the senior citizens and patients with co-morbidities are making dozens of calls to the private hospitals for beds and medical care.

Unfortunately, a majority of them are getting a negative reply from hospitals because all beds occupied by patients. If the family members take risk and directly go the GGH with the patient for admission, the hospital authorities are not taking the patients and allotting the beds. The patients are not admitted directly and it is causing more pain to the families.

The only option left for many Covid patients is the Government General Hospital, Vijayawada. The district administration has arranged call centre to allot the beds in GGH.

Family members of the Covid patients are exhausted waiting for the call from 104 centre. If someone gets the call, the call centre staff is giving suggestions on home quarantine and medicines to be taken for recovery.

The hapless family members are seeking help from political leaders and government officials to get bed in the GGH. But almost all beds are occupied by patients and it can be vacated when the patient recovers and moves to home or quarantine centre. But this is happening at low pace.

On the other hand, children and other family members are panicked with the fluctuating oxygen levels of the Covid victims. In most homes, the family members are checking the oxygen levels and getting worried over the decreasing pulse rate and oxygen levels.

Thousands of families are spending sleepless nights due to unstable condition of Covid patients in their homes and non-availability of the beds. The struggle made by the family members to get bed is also showing huge impact on the Covid patients.

There is a scope that immunity levels of the patients will decline drastically and leads to some other problem, if the struggle for beds continues for more days and weeks.