THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “My mother is in a critical condition. The General Hospital authorities have referred her to the Medical College Hospital (MCH) saying she needs ventilator support and critical care. She is yet to be admitted in MCH because of unavailability of beds,” says Sarmeela (name changed), a native of Poonthura. Her 56-year-old mother was initially taken to a private hospital after experiencing difficulty in breathing.
“She was wheezing and her blood sugar was up. We took her to a private hospital where she was admitted in the ICU after diagnosis. Later when she tested positive for Covid-19, the hospital referred her to the MCH. She got admitted in the hospital on July 15. However, because of unavailability of beds, we had to shift her to the General Hospital on Sunday night around 10.30pm but the hospital authorities referred her back to the MCH claiming she needs critical care. We bought her to the MCH at around noon on Monday,” says Sarmeela who is currently in quarantine. Her mother was yet to get ventilator support at the time of writing this report.
The private hospital slapped the family with a bill amount of Rs 55,000 for just two days of treatment. “We don’t have money to get her treated in a private hospital. We placed the request for shifting her to the MCH since she got admitted in the private hospital. I am in touch with the authorities over phone. She is fighting for her life and it’s unfortunate that I am not by her side right now,” adds Sarmeela, who is just one among the many facing a similar experience.
Despite the government confirming community spread in the state capital, efforts to put in place an effective bed management system at second- and third-line Covid-19 care centres including the General Hosptial and MCH are yet to gain traction. Many critically ill patients in the city’s premium private hospitals are kept waiting for hours or even days because of ineffective bed management at government hospitals. Several patients are also forced to stay inside the ambulances for hours until arrangements are made.
According to health authorities, risk assessment, clinical categorisation of patients based on severity, transportation to appropriate treatment centres should be given paramount importance for effective Covid-19 containment. The district health authorities have recommended setting up of a control room to manage the patient flow to appropriate centres. As per sources, almost every private hospital is turning away patients when they test Covid-19 positive by referring them to a government facility against their wish. “There is community spread and we should be prepared to accept severe cases. There should be a 24x7 control room to manage the patient flow,” said an official. The official said that the key focus should be on categorising patients and providing a fool-proof transportation system.
A senior official of the General Hospital said that private healthcare institutions should show more commitment to patients. “The public healthcare institutions are working tirelessly round the clock ever since the outbreak of the pandemic. The government should immediately issue strict orders directing the private health institutions to treat Covid-19 patients. This pandemic is here to stay and they cannot continue to turn away patients which is resulting in extreme pressure on the public health system.” Another official of MCH said that sufficient ventilators are available. “There is no crisis as of now. We are adding more Covid-19 ICUs based on demand,” said the official.
need for control room ?
Efforts to put in place an effective bed management system at second- and third-line Covid-19 care centres including the General Hosptial and MCH are yet to gain traction. The district health authorities have recommended setting up of a control room to manage patient flow