Hospitals in Ggm, Delhi struggling with bed shortage for H1N1 patients

Ggm health dept has reported 109 confirmed cases and two deaths

GURUGRAM/NEWDELHI: With the district health department confirming 109 positive cases of swine flu as of Thursday, private hospitals in Gurugram are contending with a crippling shortage of beds.

Less than 1% people with seasonal flu, which includes swine flu caused by the Influenza A (H1N1) virus, need treatment for flu-related complications.

Most people with the flu report mild illness, and do not need medical care or antiviral drugs and recover without medical treatment in less than a week.

Dr Piyush Goel, pulmonologist at Columbia Asia Hospital in Palam Vihar, said, “Due to the shortage of beds, we are advising patients who test positive for flu but are mostly stable to stay at home in isolation. Only patients with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, or those on cancer treatment, post-transplant patients on immune suppressants etc. being admitted at the hospital,” he said.

The only people who need hospitalisation are some people in category-B and most category-C patients, as categorised by the government in their flu advisory.

Delhi’s hospitals are burdened with a similar problem as well.

Even with the government earmarking 1,000 beds for fever cases needing hospitalisation and allowing private hospitals to increase their bed strength by up to 20%, it’s nearly impossible to get a hospital bed as people with even mild fever who test positive for swine flu insist on getting admitted.

The hospital has created an additional six-bed fever ward to treat fever cases in addition to two isolation rooms for H1N1positive patients. The wait time for elective cases goes up during this time from the usual 2-3 days to 4-6 days.

Deepankur Mohania, 41, is one of the people being treated in the H1N1 ward at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital since Wednesday. After his fever didn’t subside for a week, he consulted a doctor. “My condition was very bad; I couldn’t even talk for a few minutes without feeling breathless. I was also vomiting continuously,” Mohania said.

“Luckily, a patient had just been discharged before me, so I got a bed,” he said.

“The problem in Delhi is that hospitals here don’t just treat Delhiites but also to people from other states, so there is always a shortage,” said Dr Anupam Sibal, group medical director, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital.