Where should serious Non-Covid patients go?

Aurangabad, April 21:

The active patients in the district are more than 15,000. Some private hospitals along with the government hospitals are reserved for the treatment of the Corona patients. The 750 beds in the have been reserved for the Corona patients at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) Covid Hospital. The serious patients with co-mobidities like kidney and heart diseases are being treated on ventilators. As the burden on the major private hospitals has increased, the question has aroused that where the non-Covid serious patients should go?

The facility for the cardiac disease treatment is available at the GMCH, but the angiography and angioplasty facilities are closed since the last year. The new machines were brought in the super specialty building. Only OPD facility of the cardiologists is presently available at the GMCH. The patients have to approach the private hospitals for angiography and angioplasty. Moreover, the patients are ignoring to go the hospitals due to the increased pandemic. The Corona negative patients with HRCT score are searching for the beds in hospitals. Most of the ventilators are occupied for the treatment of Corona patients while the number of ventilators available for non-Covid patients is negligible.

Presently, there are five government hospitals in the city where the Covid treatment is available. There are 400 private hospitals, of which 53 are having Covid treatment facilities. Out of the 1177 beds available at GMCH, 750 are reserved for Covid patients.

The Medical Superintent, Government Cancer Hospital, Dr Ajay Boralkar said, the human resources of the Cancer Hospital is engaged in the Covid treatment. Still, the surgeries are conducted in the hospital daily but in less number. Chemo and laser treatments are available. Dean Dr Kanan Yelikar has directed that the patients should get proper treatment and hence efforts are taken in this directing, he said.

The GMCH Cardiologist, Dr Ganesh Sapkal said, the cardiac facility is available for the patients for the past one year but patients are not approaching the hospital. Angiography and Angioplasty are not available for the technical reason but emergency cases are considered urgently, he said.