HYDERABAD: The number of doctors testing positive for Covid-19 is increasing by the day across medical colleges. As of Tuesday, a total of 39 MBBS students, 45 house surgeons, 33 PG doctors and six faculty members from Osmania and Gandhi Hospitals have tested positive. These two hospitals are the State’s most crucial tertiary care centres that cumulatively have a capacity of 3,500-4,000 beds. This data was shared by Telangana Junior Doctors Association on Tuesday.
The sharp spike in cases among healthcare workers will be debilitating for the public healthcare systems as it will not only affect Covid-19 services but crucially, also non-Covid services, which are at an all-time high in the state. Currently, about 70 severe cases of Covid-19 are being treated in Gandhi Hospital, all in the ICU. Of this, 25 cases had come in on Tuesday alone.
It is learnt that the majority of these cases are patients who had been previously hospitalised and were undergoing treatment for other ailments. These patients tested positive for Covid-19 while in the hospital and were sent to Gandhi Hospital. Similarly, Gandhi Hospital is also seeing a high caseload, with all of its non-Covid beds occupied.
“We are worried that with already low manpower due to delayed NEET PG counselling, the sheer number of Covid-19 cases will leave the existing staff overburdened,” stated a TJUDA representative.
Amidst this, there is also a worry that non-Covid services may be suspended to tackle the wave of infections in the third-fourth week of January and to rationalise the staff for Covid.
Director of Medical Education Dr. Ramesh Reddy, however, said that as of date, there is no impact on electives and non-Covid services. In a tweet, he stated, “All the services in government hospitals in Telangana are running as usual. Hospital Covid admissions are minimal. Elective services are not stopped.”
Telangana bed occupancy rises as cases rise
HYDERABAD: Bed occupancy in Telangana hospitals has shot up by 9 per cent overnight. This comes on a day when Telangana reported 1,920 cases of Covid-19 from 83,153 tests conducted. The state also saw 417 recoveries, taking the number of active cases to 16,496. A majority of the caseload was from GHMC with 1,015 cases, followed by Medchal with 209 and Rangareddy with 159 cases. The day also saw the death of two individuals, taking the toll to 4,045.