AUGMENTING CRITICAL CARE FACILITIES IS THE NEED OF THE HOUR VIVEK TIWARI
Many resources are required to adequately treat a critically ill patient with Covid19, such as an ICU bed with a fullfeatured ventilator, personal protective equipment (e.g., isolation gowns, N95 respirators, gloves, etc.), and adequate hospital staffing. While India could handle the strain on its hospitals during the first wave, at the peak of the devastating second wave of Covid19, close to 50,000 patients were admitted in intensive care units, while more than 14,500 were on ventilator support, according to Government of India’s data released in May. With the emergence of the Delta variant of Covid19, the second wave was much more fatal as compared to the first one and a dearth of comprehensive critical care was felt through various parts of India.
THE INTENSIVE CARE CRISIS IN INDIA
In the last three decades, dedicated intensive care facilities have been set up in all the major Indian cities and larger towns. Despite the progress, Indian healthcare infrastructure still struggles with organizational aspects such as resource availability (e.g. number of negative pressure rooms, access to noninvasive and invasive ventilation, intravenous fluids, etc.) and personnel (critical care nurses, doctors and allied health specialists).
To increase the number of Healthcare Workers who can provide intensive care, the Ministry of Health through the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, has also implemented online training programs on aspects of critical care management for ICU and nonicu doctors. But with India’s vast urbanrural divide, there is still a massive need for significantly ramping up testing and hospital infrastructure in TIERII/III cities and in rural areas too. After tackling a tremendous rise in the caseload of Covid19 patients on Indian healthcare, there are fears of an imminent, and much sharper and more infectious third wave. This means we would need more ICU capacities as opposed to what we had in Wave 2 which was originally not sufficient. Another trend suggests that the third wave might infect children on a larger scale. Whereas, intensive care units for children are still very limited in India.
AN INNOVATIVE SOLUTION
To offset the acute shortage for ICUS in the pandemic and postpandemic era, Medikabazaar’s Paediatric ICU and Covid ICU Packages can prove to be a gamechanger. Focused on providing intensive care for adults and children alike, and to be prepared for any future waves of Covid19, Medikabazaar, India’s pioneering and largest online platform for medical supplies, has meticulously designed emergency ICU packages for hospitals and medical establishments. Curated by Medikabazaar’s medical experts, the ICU packages are also aimed at reducing the deficit of intensive care units in tier II/III cities and rural areas as well. An added advantage of these packages is that they are emergency ICUS and can be created fairly quickly within days at any site where a large hall or room exists or even within a temporary airconditioned structure, like Covid centres.
The Paediatric ICU Package includes the following equipment:
• BIPAP machine
• Nebulizer
• Patient monitor
• Portable suction machine
• Ventilator
Whereas the Covid ICU Package (for Adults) includes the following equipment:
BIPAP machine
• ICU bed
• Oxygen concentrator
• Patient monitor
• Pulse oximeter
• Ventilator
At the start of the pandemic, India suffered from widespread shortage of personal protective equipment to safeguard citizens and healthcare workers, but according to recent reports, we have become the secondlargest producer of PPE Suits with over 600 domestic companies to manufacture them.