The State government will set up makeshift or modular hospitals to create 2,000 ICU beds capacity that will have about 800 to 1,000 ventilators within 15 days, and has sought the Centre’s permission to import Remdesivir directly, Health Minister K. Sudhakar said on Friday.
Acknowledging shortage of oxygen beds, ICU beds and ventilators, especially in Bengaluru, the Health Minister told reporters that these make shift hospitals of about 250 to 300 beds each will come up on the premises of tertiary hospitals such as Victoria, Bowring, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases, Jayadeva, Kidwai, and Nimhans. “Each makeshift hospital will have about 100 ventilator beds.”
The Health Minister said that the State has also sought the Centre’s permission to import 2 lakh vials of Remdesivir directly. “We are awaiting permission. I have also spoken to Union Fertilizer Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda. We can airlift the entire 2 lakh vials at a time. This will be sufficient for 15 to 20 days and we will also get Central allocation.” The current allocation of Remdesivir to the State is not sufficient, he added.
The Minister said that the State has been receiving 10,000 to 15,000 vials daily over the last three days. Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has also assured supplying about 50,000 to 60,000 vials by the end of this month, and she has already supplied 10,000 vials in the last two days.
Dr. Sudhakar said that the health infrastructure is under tremendous pressure with people not requiring hospitalisation getting admitted. “90 % of the patients need no hospitalisation. There is anxiety among people. The Prime Minister has also asked us to strengthen the home isolation strategy. We have been told that oxygen and Remdesivir production has been increased.”
The Minister said that the State has requested the Centre to supply 1,500 tonnes of oxygen daily from May 1 and 1,000 tonnes of oxygen daily till April 30. “The State government is also proposing to purchase oxygen concentrators, oxygen generators, and portable oxygen equipment. The State will also strengthen telemedicine facilities. We are making efforts on a war footing.”
There are shortcomings, the Minister acknowledged, and said that the second wave had hit the country suddenly. “Even countries such as the U.S. that spend 20% of the GDP on health sector were affected by the pandemic.” Regarding criticism on harsh curfew conditions, Dr. Sudhakar said several countries that faced more than one wave have had imposed lockdown for one to one-and-a-half months. “Is it possible to control the pandemic without lockdown? This is not a time for politicising the issue. It is a collective war. There is health emergency in the country.”
