BENGALURU: Though there is no shortage of hospital beds and the government claims that only 2 per cent of Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, Mahadevamma (54) suffering from asthma and suspected to have contracted Covid-19, was unable to find a bed easily in a government hospital on Sunday. Her son Ravi told TNIE that she has had asthma for 25 years, and on Saturday night, she returned from a clinic after receiving an injection. She had a drink of ORS and went to bed.
“When we checked on her around 8.30am the next day, she did not respond and we assumed she was asleep. Around noon, she was still not responding and we called a 108 ambulance, which took under an hour to reach. We went to Victoria Hospital where there was no one to check on her,” Ravi said.
He requested hospital authorities to attend to her as it was an emergency, but they made them wait, stating they were busy. Later, a health worker checked her pulse and told the family she needed a ventilator bed and none was available. They suggested she be taken to Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedics. “They could have at least given her first aid at Victoria. When we went to Sanjay Gandhi, they too did not admit her as they did not have a ventilator bed. They sent us to Bowring Hospital,” he added.
By this time, they were joined by Naveed Irfan, a volunteer at Emergency Response Team (ERT) and Mercy Angels, who was trying to help the family get a bed. Though Bowring was reluctant, they finally agreed. “They stabilised her with nebulization, checked her vitals, and did an ECG. A Rapid Antigen Test came negative and an RT-PCR swab was taken,” Naveed said.
They had to call for private ambulance after arranging an ICU bed at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD). On Monday evening, the swab taken for RT-PCR at RGICD showed Covid-positive. “We need influence and contacts to get a hospital bed. Now, we have to shift her again to a Covid-19 hospital,” Ravi complained. Tertiary care centres such as Bowring and Victoria are taking in only Covid-19 patients, but BPL cardholders who need non-Covid care end up there without any idea what to do, pointed out Tauseef Ahmed, also a member of ERT who was trying to help the family.
Health Commissioner D Randeep said an order will soon be issued, clarifying that all non-Covid surgeries, admissions and treatment will commence, with a minimum number of beds reserved for Covid.