25% Covid beds to be added

The Telangana state health department has decided to increase the number of beds available to Covid19 patients at all government hospitals treating Coronavirus infected patients by 25 per cent.

The decision to increase bed strength comes in the wake of increasing complaints from people about the lack of beds for treating Covid patients, especially those requiring serious and critical care in intensive care units (ICUs). The department will also be asking private hospitals to increase the beds being made available to Covid patients in view of the fast-rising cases in the state.

As on Wednesday, according to the daily data released in the Covid9 bulletin by the department, the state-run hospitals in all districts treating Covid patients, have a total of 9,281 beds available for them. Of these, 5,503 beds are equipped with oxygen supply, while another 1,773 beds are in the Intensive Care Units with the capability to provide ventilation and continuous positive air pressure (CPAP) equipment to help patients in serious and critical condition to breathe.

Among private hospitals treating Covid cases, the bulletin says there are

13,294 beds of which 4,568 have oxygen connectivity, and another 3,654 were capable of accommodating patients requiring CPAP machines or ventilators.

It may be recalled that on Wednesday, the Director of Health Services warned that if the current rate of infections continues, then the day when hospitals run out of beds for patients, may not be far off.

The issue of increasing bed strength was among those discussed at a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar here on Thursday and attended by top health department officials. It was also resolved to ask private hospitals to put off elective surgeries so doctors and staff can focus on Covid patients.