Hyderabad: Efforts on to augment Oxygen beds in hospitals

Hyderabad: With the shortage of beds in hospitals across the State, both in the government and private, the State government has taken up several measures to augment healthcare facilities in the State, including setting up more temporary Covid Care Centres in function halls, area community halls, and working on to step up bed strength.

Most of the major government hospitals include Gandhi Hospital, District Hospital King Koti, Erragadda ESI Hospital, Panjagutta NIMS, TIMS Gachibowli and many other state-run hospitals in and around GHMC limits are reporting a shortage of both oxygen and ICU beds.

By observing the situation getting worse and many complaints of non-availability of beds being registered at the Covid-19 Control rooms, the State Government has undertaken specific measures to increase the Covid Care facility in the city.

Sources from the State Health Department told The Hans India that the Telangana government has directed the Department of Public Health to start looking for the existing government hospitals, which can be turned into full-fledged Covid care facilities.

Starting with, the Ameerpet Government Hospital, which was earlier a Homeopathy hospital and now has been converted into a 50-bed total Covid facility to be run by the State and will be put to use for the benefit of the people in the second week of May. With a lot of people being infected in the present second wave of Covid-19, this facility would benefit hundreds of people in the surrounding Ameerpet, SR Nagar, Balkampet, and Sanathnagar areas.

"People belonging to the weaker sections of society. Most of them were finding it difficult to isolate themselves in their small confines, as per the protocol but once the Covid facility at Ameerpet government hospital became operational they can get treated here," said a Health department official.

Moreover, it has been decided to bring the old government general hospitals of the city into use, as the State government will be adding another 10,000 beds in addition to the existing oxygen beds.