Severe paucity of ICU and ventilator beds in Bengaluru
The Hindu
Karnataka government hasn’t added a single bed since the onset of the second wave of COVID-19
Abhinav had been desperately searching for ICU beds for his mother Vimala, 52, and his elder brother Abhinandan, 32, for five days, but to no avail. “Their condition is deteriorating. We cannot afford treatment in private hospitals, but neither are we able to find beds in the government quota,” he lamented. He is not alone. Several patients and their families are desperately seeking ICU and ventilator beds in the city for many days now, but have been unsuccessful. The BBMP COVID-19 Hospital Bed Management System (CHBMS) showed that not a single ICU or ventilator bed was available for adults in the city on Monday evening. This has been the case for several days now, even as oxygenated (HDU) beds have freed up during the same time. Gone are the days of running around for an oxygenated bed. As many as 668 of them, only in government quota, were lying unoccupied in city hospitals on Monday evening, a reflection of falling caseload. However, ICU and ventilator beds remain extremely hard to come by. Only seven ICU beds and four ventilators were available in private hospitals in the city as per portal maintained by Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes’ Association (PHANA).More Related News