THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Keralite doctors who helped Mumbai to treat Covid-19 patients have recommended to the Kerala government to conduct sufficient recruitment and training of health workers to deal with a possible spike in Covid-19 cases.Their report makes inferences and recommendations based on a comparison between the situations in Kerala and Mumbai. It was prepared by Dr Santhosh Kumar S S, deputy superintendent of the Government Medical College, Dr Sajeesh Gopalan, intensivist and senior consultant of SP Fort Hospital and Dr Aneesh Raj, intensivist and consultant (anesthesia), NIMS Medicity.
They were part of a team of 40 doctors and 35 nurses who served at Seven Hills, Hospital, Mumbai. The report said that the overwhelming of hospitals in Mumbai could be predicted and adequate steps taken at an early stage.For this, region-wise data on the number of patients in ICUs and the availability of ICU beds have to be monitored. The rate of increase in the number of critically ill patients should be analysed at least on a weekly basis. By comparing these two parameters, a fairly accurate time scale in which the system overwhelms can be predicted.
According to Dr Santhosh, the number of days required for the doubling of patient load in ICUs is the key factor in preparations. The report proposed to the Kerala government to prepare standard guidelines on Covid ICUs in the light of high oxygen demand, infrastructural demand, resources demand and human resource and auxiliary facility demand. A detailed evaluation of the present ICU facilities has to be done to get a realistic picture of facilities and their capacity to cope up with the demand during a community spread.
Daily statistical reports of district-wise critically ill positive patients in ICUs in comparison with the number of ICU beds with adequate standards have to be populated. “Such statistics over time can be used to derive the rate at which the number of critically ill patients is increasing and the doubling time. It will give a predictability on the time scale in which our ICU facilities will overwhelm,” the report said.