The spike in Covid positive cases and a growing list of patients waiting for admission has prompted several Kolkata private hospitals to augment their ICU capacities. Most have expanded their Covid units over the last fortnight necessitating more intensive care beds. Along with new ICU berths, more ventilators have also been commissioned. The hospitals hope to start using the augmented facilities by next week.
Peerless Hospital that now has eight Covid ITU beds plans to add 12 more by next week. Four ventilators and 10 monitors have been commissioned by the hospital to serve the added beds. Peerless also ordered four high-pressure oxygen suppliers for patients suffering from acute breathing distress. “Even though all our 67 Covid beds are now occupied, there are many more who are waiting for admission,” said CEO Sudipto Mitra.
There are patients who would be better off in an ICU or ITU, Mitra added. “We needed more ventilators and monitors, too, that could not be procured earlier due to the restrictions. We hope to have them by next week,” said Mitra.
Medica Superspecialty Hospital will add 10 more ICU beds to its existing 72 by Monday. It will also have four more ventilators.
AMRI has added 14 more ICU beds at its new Covid-designated building at Dhakuria. It takes the total number of its Covid ICU beds across the three units to 42. The number of ventilators, however, remained unchanged. “As cases rise, the queue is getting longer. We have already raised the number of our Covid beds to 155,” said AMRI CEO Rupak Barua.
The number of Covid beds at Ruby General Hospital went up to 45 from 32 this week. This included 15 Covid ICU beds. “We had just six ICU beds till Tuesday. But it was not enough and we had been trying to raise the number for the last two weeks,” said Ruby general manager, operations, Subhasish Datta. The hospital will also dedicate four ventilators for Covid patients apart from the six that are in use.
He added that Ruby had been getting a steady stream of critical patients, including several undergoing treatment at their cancer unit. “Initially, we had been wary about having a Covid unit due to our cancer patients. But as the pandemic spread, we were left with little choice,” added Datta.
Even though Covid symptoms are getting milder, the spike in numbers will lead to a swell in serious patients as well, pointed out RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences consultant Arindam Biswas. “The elderly and the co-morbid population will require ICU care and ventilation. So, as the numbers go up, we must add more critical care beds,” he said.
Source: Times of India
