Man could not get bed for wife after a several calls

Man could not get bed for wife after several calls.

As Covid-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh continued to rise up. It is the second-worst affected state with more than 2.97 lakh of active cases, people are struggling for hospital beds, oxygen cylinders, and medicines with the health infrastructure in the state to the limit.

For the past four days, Anil Bajpai has been trying to get his 53-year-old wife Rashmi, a Covid patient, into a hospital in Kanpur.

“I have made several calls: to officials, hospitals, helplines, friends, everyone, but I have not been able to get my wife a bed. His oxygen level has dropped below 60 since Sunday morning, ”Anil said by phone Sunday night.

“Wherever I call, they say there is no bed available.”

A 34-year-old police officer stationed in the city of Kanpur said he has not received any

help from the district administration, and had to resort to treating himself at home with teleconsultation from a doctor. “I was unable to inform my elders because I did not get a positive Covid report, but I have had symptoms for the past four days. Since Saturday, my oxygen levels started to drop. After realizing that I couldn’t get help from administration and hospitals, I spoke with a doctor friend who has been guiding me on treatment. I couldn’t get a bed anywhere, but I did manage to buy an oxygen concentrator through a relative in Lucknow. The concentrator cost me 1 lakh rupees, ”said the agent, who wished to remain anonymous.

On Sunday, Kanpur reported 2,153 new Covid-19 cases and 19 deaths, bringing active cases to 16,916, according to the state Department of Health bulletin. So far, the district has reported 1,062 deaths, the second-highest in the state after Lucknow.

A senior district health official said that while 26 hospitals are treating Covid patients in Kanpur, “there is not a single bed available at the moment.” “I get a lot of calls, but I can’t do anything. I’m telling people to call me later and check again, ”the official said.

On Sunday, a video allegedly from the UHM Hospital emergency room went viral, showing the chaos and defenseless doctors.

Both Kanpur District Magistrate Alok Tiwari and Medical Director Dr. Anil Mishra were not available for comment. His subordinates declined to comment on the district’s shortage of beds and medical oxygen.

In Varanasi, which reported 2,057 new cases and 15 deaths in the last 24 hours, the situation was no different.

Shubham Singh (28), a Varanasi resident, said that his father, Hira Lal Singh (60), should be put on a fan. “He is currently being treated at Ford Hospital here. But now, the doctors here said he must be transferred to a level 3 hospital (with respiratory assistance). We called several of those hospitals, but there are no beds available at any of the locations. We are still trying, ”Shubham said.

Binish Narayan also faced a similar problem. His father needs respiratory assistance.

“He is 59 years old. Their oxygen levels are very low. We have tried many hospitals, but nowhere is a ventilator available. Now, we are trying to get admitted to the BHU hospital, ”Binish said Sunday night.

Even though the state government is increasing the number of beds, either pushing hospitals to the limit or with the help of government organizations like the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), demand is outstripping availability.

Faced with a daily increase of around 10,000 to 18,000 active cases, the majority of beds in the state’s L-2 (with oxygen supply) and L-3 (with ventilatory support) hospitals, mainly in the most affected districts, are already occupied.

On Saturday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath confirmed that the state has about 25,000 beds in 120 L-2 hospitals and about 25,700 beds in 222 L-3 hospitals, a total of about 51,000 beds.

According to the Health Department bulletin on Sunday, 55,305 or 19 percent of the total 2.97 lakh of active patients are admitted to hospitals, both government and private.

This suggests that in the midst of the current crisis, almost all L-2 and L-3 beds in the state are occupied.

In the past six days, the number of active cases increased by 74,072, but the state could add just 8,521 additional patients to hospitals.

“It is a strange situation. It is as if we have prepared food for five people but those who need it are many more. We are increasing our resources on a daily basis, but the number of people who need those resources is increasing at a much higher rate, ”said a senior health official.

It’s not just beds, oxygen cylinders and medicines are also in short supply.

Deepti Ahuja, a social worker in Lucknow, said that an oxygen cylinder supplier asked for Rs 70,000 for a cylinder.

Similarly, another supplier asked him to pay Rs 40,000 for two vials of Remdesivir.

A person in Kanpur claimed that Remdesivir sells for Rs 17,000 per vial. “People are buying because they have no other choice at the moment,” said a Kanpur resident.