KOCHI: The state is slowly inching towards the peak of pandemic infection. However, making ventilators and ICUs available to curb fatalities is going to be difficult. Health Minister K K Shailaja recently expressed concern regarding the shortage of ventilators and possibility of more deaths. Currently, the state has around 717 Covid-19 ICU beds and 373 Covid ventilators.
The occupancy of the ICUs and ventilators are fluctuating. Recently, it crossed the 50 per cent mark and on Thursday, the occupancy rate came down again. As on Thursday, 39.5 per cent of Covid-19 ICU beds and 3.2 per cent ventilators are occupied. In Kochi, 33 out of the 50 total Covid ICU beds are occupied while in Thiruvananthapuram, 44 out of the total 104 are occupied.
The Covid-19 death toll is nearing 500 and Kerala is anticipating an average of 5,000-8,000 fresh cases per day in the coming weeks. It is learnt that 40 per cent of the total count came from the state capital. With the demand for emergency medical infrastructure likely to go up, the government has asked district authorities to mobilise funds locally to buy more facilities. “The districts can channelise money for medical infrastructure from the MLA funds. Also, if the utilisation exceeds 60 per cent, we will have to make use of facilities at private hospitals,” said an official.
However, reports say that the state should first resolve the human resource crisis, as scaling up the medical infrastructure would imply the need for more trained ICU staff. Deputy Superintendent of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital, who is leading the training sessions, said that the state plans to share facilities with districts that lack them. He said that Pathanamthitta, Wayanad, Idukki and Kasargod are among the districts facing a dearth of emergency medical facilities.
“Currently, Thiruvananthapuram is taking emergency cases from Kollam, Pathanamthitta and even Tamil Nadu. That is one reason why the number of deaths is high in the district compared to the rest of Kerala. ICU training sessions are under way in every district. However, staff strength keeps fluctuating as each batch has to go on mandatory quarantine for a week after 10 days of duty,” said Santhosh Kumar S S.
He said that 90 per cent of the patients fall under 10-60 age group in the state. “This is why we are able to keep the mortality rate under check. But we have to be prepared for for when the vulnerable population contracts the virus.”