HYDERABAD: After weeks of COVID-19 patients being forced to run from pillar to post to procure oxygen and ICU beds, the Telangana Health Department has announced that it is looking to add another 5,000 ICU and oxygen beds in the coming days.
Work is underway specifically at TIMS and Gandhi Hospitals which have become the major hubs for treatment.
"We are planning to add 2,300 oxygen and ICU beds in GHMC limits. Of these, 160 will be in Gandhi Hospital itself at the triage - which is the place where patients are checked and then sent to wards. This will cut the waiting period. An oxygen generator which can produce 2,000 litres of oxygen per minute has been gotten for this purpose in Gandhi," explained Director of Medical Education, Dr Ramesh Reddy.
In TIMS, about 300 new beds have been planned, of which 200 are ready. "We have also been allocated 51 oxygen generators which will mainly be set up in districts. Many of the district hospitals are using cylinders and these O2 generators will reduce dependence on cylinders," he added.
Contradicting the situation on ground, officials further said that around only 73 per cent of ICU beds in government and 74 per cent in private hospitals were occupied. About 26 per cent oxygen and ICU beds were vacant they said.
"The situation is slowly improving and Telangana's TPR is also reducing. People are urged to maintain precautions," added Director of Public Health, Dr GS Rao.
Webinar on COVID by Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge and Yashoda Hospital
The Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK), in association with Yashoda Hospitals and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), will be conducting a live webinar titled "Covid Wave II - Expert Advice to Stay Safe" on the Facebook and YouTube channels of TASK and Yashoda Hospitals on Saturday.
It will also be available for public viewing on the T-SAT Nipuna channel. The webinar will witness multiple aspects pertaining to the second wave of Covid-19 being discussed and questions will be answered by Pulmonary and Paediatric experts. People can also mail their queries to enquiry_task@telagana.gov.in.
Chief Secretary directs officials to ensure quick transport of medical oxygen tankers
Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, on Friday, directed the officials concerned to work with coordination to ensure uninterrupted and speedy transportation of medical oxygen tankers.
At a meeting with Transport and RTC officials at BRKR Bhavan, the CS directed Transport Department officials to form teams with experts in logistics to transport oxygen tankers in two routes from Angur in Odisha and Bellary in Karnataka in the shortest possible time.
He also directed officials to discuss with the Railways to provide a green channel for the non-stop movement of the Oxygen Express to minimise travelling time from three to six days. The CS also inspected the new Covid-19 ward at Gandhi Hospital on Friday.