A government website that displays the status of beds in COVID hospitals in Telangana went live on Wednesday morning. The website, https://health.telangana.gov.in/, was mentioned in the media bulletin issued on Wednesday.
Information on the number of regular, oxygen and ICU beds available at government and private hospitals, number of beds occupied, and those vacant, would be updated regularly.
According to the updates on the website at 7.04 p.m. on Wednesday, there were 2,899 ICU beds available in private hospitals and 986 in government hospitals.
However, since a lot of people had a tough time getting a bed, doubts were raised over the veracity of information. When checked, over 400 ICU beds were available at private hospitals in Hyderabad limits. In a few, all ICU beds were vacant.
Sources from corporate hospitals said that the government should design a system where a person can get information about where a bed is available and at what time, they should reach the hospital.
“Currently, family members of moderate to severe COVID patients are desperately going from one hospital to another to request a bed. If there is a system where a person is informed of a particular time to go to a hospital to admit their patient, it will bring down the anxiety levels and uncertainty among family members,” sources said.
There is another reason for such a system to be introduced. When all family members test positive, including some with moderate or critical symptoms, the asymptomatic ones are stepping out of their house, and doing the paper work at hospitals. Multiple sources in corporate hospitals have informed of this situation, which is not at all safe.
Sources said that the Health department would announce a few phone numbers to know the status of beds in a few days.
