THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An alarming increase in the number of Covid-19 patients has already thrown non-Covid care out of gear. The demand for health care workers at hospitals is also rising. As of Sunday, almost 71 per cent of ICU beds and 54 per cent of the ventilators have already been occupied, much to the concern of the health department.
The number of Covid 19 patients at Thiruvananthapuram Medical Hospital — the only tertiary care hospital offering treatment for Category C patients — is increasing exponentially. The authorities are now earmarking more wards and ICUs to take care of the patients. According to health experts, the daily caseload is likely to hit 25,000 to 30,000 in the state in the coming weeks.
“In 10 days, the total number of cases is likely to hit three lakhs and one per cent of the total patients would require critical care. This means, around 3,000 patients will need ICU and ventilator support. As per the current situation, we don’t have adequate resources to manage the surge.
We need more supporting staff, including nursing assistants and cleaning staff. Patients being admitted to ICUs would need more assistance as bystanders are not allowed with Covid-19 patients,” said a senior official of the health department. The official added that patient care will be compromised.
Interns and residents feel the heat
As of Sunday, 65 per cent of the total beds allocated for Covid-19 treatment has been occupied. The tertiary care in the state capital is on the verge of collapse, with around 200 house surgeons completing their internship. Jeevan P S, president of Kerala Medical Post Graduate Association, Thiruvananthapuram Unit said that there is an acute shortage of workforce at MCH. “As many as 200 house surgeons who were on duty at MCH have completed their internship.
They are on strike to protest the decision of the authorities to extend their internship for another 3 months. It would take at least another four months for the new batch to start their internship. There is no decision to recruit new doctors. Almost every ward and ICU is full and there are not enough doctors to manage the caseload. Right now, all the burden is being dumped on the junior residents. We have taken up the matter with the higher authorities as the patient care is getting affected,” said Jeevan PS.
Nisha Hameed, Kerala Government Nurses Association (KGNA) state secretary said that immediate steps should be taken to bridge the gap between patients - staff ratio. “Unlike the first wave of the pandemic, the influx of Covid-19 patients is more this time. Scores of cases are getting reported each day and we don’t have the manpower to manage them. Most patients coming to the hospital are symptomatic and need medical care and oxygen support,” said Nisha.
The repeated request from the MCH authorities for more staff has fallen on the deaf ears of the authorities. “We have raised this demand many times in the past, but all in vain. We need a minimum of 858 staff nurses for ensuring proper management of Covid- and non-Covid patients. There is an acute shortage of cleaning staff,” said the official.