GUNTUR: The discharge drive being currently conducted in the Guntur GGH has proved to be a blessing in disguise. A team of eight doctors examine the Covid-19 patient’s condition and discharge him or her immediately so that an oxygen bed could be occupied by a critical Covid-19 patient. Due to this initiative adopted by the hospital, between 120 and 150 patients are being discharged per day.
GGH Superintendent Dr Neelam Prabhavati told TNIE a week ago, 40 Covid-19 patients would be in the waiting list. “Thanks to the discharge initiative, we have turned the GGH into a Covid-19 hospital per se and are sending the non-Covid-19 cases to other hospitals.”
She said, “Even if oxygen beds are not vacant, we are admitting the patient and allotting him or her a bed in the general ward. And within six hours, depending on his or her health condition, we assign him an oxygen bed, she said. The new Covid-19 Care Centre and step-down centre are helping us in reducing the rush.”
Currently, 650 senior doctors, house surgeons, junior doctors, 450 staff nurses are performing Covid-19 duties in the GGH. This apart, 300 more staff nurses were recruited temporarily. At present, 20 to 21 KL oxygen is required per day in the hospital. Joint Collector Prashanthi and Assistant Collector Subham Bhansal have appointed a team of engineers to inspect the oxygen supply in the hospital 24x7.
The GGH has 1,158 beds, including 158 ICU beds, 840 oxygen beds, 95 general beds, and 65 ventilators for Covid-19 patients. All the beds are occupied on Wednesday. The sister of a Covid-19 patient, who is admitted in the GGH, said, “I was doubtful if my brother can get a bed in the hospital. After waiting for four hours, he was admitted in the general ward, and the administrators said that he will be allotted a oxygen bed, if required.”
Another problem is most patients turned down by notified private hospitals and Covid-19 patients in critical condition turn up at the GGH. The patients, in the hope of getting an oxygen bed, get admitted to non-Covid-19 hospitals, and when he or she develops complications, the hospital management asks the patient to leave immediately or shifts the patient to another hospital.
An official said two to three per cent of active cases require treatment in the hospital. “So we are setting up more triage centres and CCCs to give the hospitals some breathing space,” he added.