‘No dearth of Oxygen cylinders too’
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, May 2: Though there is no dearth of beds or oxygen in Government hospitals as about half number of COVID beds are available in the Medical Colleges and Hospitals as well as private hospitals of J&K UT, some people still persist on treatment of their patients at their homes by purchasing the oxygen cylinders which the Government has repeatedly stated that the practice is in contravention of the protocol.
As per official figures, there are 3679 beds available for COVID patients in the hospitals of J&K UT out of which 1977 have been occupied while 1702 are still available. Besides, 195 COVID ICU beds are available in these hospitals at present.
According to official reports, out of 1622 beds earmarked for COVID patients in 23 hospitals of Jammu region including four Medical Colleges and Narayana Hospital, Katra in Reasi district, only 913 beds have been occupied till date while 709 are available for COVID patients. While in hospitals of Kashmir valley, there is total strength of 2057 beds for COVID patients and 1064 have been occupied while 993 are vacant.
In GMC Jammu alone, about 63 beds are still vacant for COVID patients at present as per official data. Out of 342 COVID patients undergoing treatment in the Hospital 237 are on Oxygen support while 26 are normal who don’t need Oxygen support, report revealed.
About 87 ICU beds for COVID patients are available in GMC out of which 79 are occupied by patients and eight are vacant. Among these 79 patients 50 are on non invasive ventilator while 27 patients don’t need ventilator and two are on invasive ventilator, official figures said.
The Chest Diseases Hospital, Jammu has total strength of 110 COVID beds while 86 are occupied by patients and 24 are vacant. Seventy six patients are on Oxygen support in this Hospital. However, all the 10 COVID ICU beds are vacant in this hospital. In Gandhi Nagar Hospital New and Old Block 262 beds are available while only 129 are occupied by COVID patients. In the same hospital all 47 ICU beds are lying vacant.
In ASCOMS, Jammu out of 110 COVID beds, 62 are occupied while 47 are vacant and out of eight ICU beds in this hospital seven are occupied by patients while one is vacant. In Government Psychiatry Hospital Jammu all 70 beds meant for COVID patients are available as no patient has been admitted in this hospital till date. In Government Medical Colleges of Doda , Rajouri and Kathua out of 42 , 70 and 46 COVID beds respectively 27, 56 and 37 are occupied while rest are vacant.
In Narayana Hospital Katra, out of 111 COVID beds 89 are occupied while 22 are vacant and out of 24 ICU beds in this Hospital 21 are occupied while three are vacant.
Same is the position in other hospitals of Jammu region as per available data. In district Hospital, Reasi and SDH, Katra out of 60 and 20 beds kept for COVID patients 11 in each hospital are occupied while rest are vacant. In district Hospitals of Kishtwar and Poonch out of 90 and 40 beds for COVID patients respectively 14 and three are occupied while rest are vacant.
As per data in CHC Mendhar and CHC Surankote out of 30 beds each seven and two have been occupied while rest are available. In district Hospital Udhampur, out of 36 beds for COVID patients 20 have been occupied while in CHC Chenani all 30 beds kept for COVID patients are available as no patient with COVID symptoms has been admitted in the hospital till date. In CHC Ramnagar and DH Samba out of 10 beds all are vacant in each hospital while in CHC Ramgarh out of 17 COVID beds 12 are occupied while five are vacant.
In AH Ghagwal of Samba district all eight COVID beds are vacant and in DH Ramban out of 15 beds, five have been occupied by COVID patients while 10 are vacant.
Same is the case with Kashmir valley Medical Colleges, SKIMS, other district and sub district hospitals and as per the data out of total strength of 2057 COVID beds in Valley Hospitals 1064 are occupied while 986 are vacant.
Data reveled that in SMHS Hospital Srinagar out of 203 beds for COVID patient 179 have been occupied while 24 are available while in SKIMS, Soura out of 300 beds 283 have been occupied and 17 are vacant. In Chest Disease Hospital, Srinagar out of 94 available beds 88, have been occupied and six are vacant. In SKIMS Bemina, Srinagar out of 170 beds, 57 are occupied by patients and 113 are vacant. In JLNM Hospital, Srinagar out of 150 beds, 104 are occupied while 46 are vacant. Same is the case with other Valley hospitals where maximum number of beds are available for COVID patients, as per official reports.
However, despite the availability of beds in hospitals with oxygen facilities there is a pressing demand from the relatives and family members of COVID patients demanding permission for refilling of Oxygen cylinders so that they can treat the patients in their houses instead of shifting them to hospital to avert the rush there. But the Government has categorically said that the patients with severe problems need to be hospitalized as there is no protocol of providing oxygen cylinders at the private residences for the treatment of the patients.
To cope up with the surging number of COVID patients in the region the Government is on way to increase more beds for such patents in the hospitals, official sources said. In Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) Jammu where 70 to 80 patients are being admitted daily for last some days and where 342 patients have been already admitted has decided to increase the bed strength from present 405 to 500 to cope up with the rush, sources added.
Denying there is any shortage of Oxygen supply in the Hospital, the sources said that at present no such problem is being faced. However, the Hospital authorities apprehend that in case the number of patients increase on an alarming level and the supply line of Oxygen is curtailed from outside then the situation can aggravate. However, as on date no such problem is being faced by the Hospital authorities in GMC, sources added.
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