A majority of the designated COVID-19 hospitals in East Godavari district are running short of Intensive Critical Care beds and beds with oxygen facility to ensure the critical care treatment to those battling for life .
The report on the availability of the beds released by Collector D. Muralidhar Reddy on Wednesday shows that there is no availability of ICU beds in the 29 hospitals, including District Government Hospital (DGH) in Rajamahendravaram. There is not even a single bed with oxygen facility in the 28 hospitals, including DGH.
In KIMS-Amalapuram, the major hospital covering the Konaseema region, and GSL hospital, that covers Rajamahendravaram region, all the ICU beds have been occupied. In Kakinada Government General Hospital, barely two ICU beds are vacant, and 38 beds with oxygen facility are available to be spared for the new admission of those battling for life.
In a field inspection of the functioning of the hospitals, Mr. Reddy admitted that there was a huge requirement of critical care infrastructure such as ICU beds and oxygen-facility beds across the district.
Those seeking admission to the renowned hospitals such as DGH-Rajamahendravaram have to wait until someone is discharged or declared dead in the hospital.
Exploitation
A senior official on a condition of anonymity said that the designated COVID-19 private hospitals were exploiting the patients seeking critical treatment in Kakinada and Rajamahendravaram, where they are discharging the patients during the ‘golden hour’ citing lack of critical care equipment. At least 70% of patients succumbing to the COVID in the government hospitals had the history of initial treatment in private hospitals, he alleged.
