A 100-bed oxygen transit ward has been set up at the IGMCRI to avoid delay in stabilising sick COVID-19 patients before they are triaged and referred to a hospital with available beds.
Health Secretary T. Arun, who commissioned the facility, said this would help stabilise patients who sometimes have to wait for up to an hour before a referral to an oxygen bed facility is coordinated. "Many patients come with breathlessness and they would already have spent about an hour to reach the IGMCRI. So, we hope to cut down any delay in attending to the patient immediately after they have reported to the hospital," he said.
The ward with oxygen beds would serve as an intermediate casualty where patients with dipping oxygen saturation levels can be first stabilised before their referral is determined, Mr. Arun said.
