Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Apr 27: Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) today said that delay in reporting to hospitals is the main reason for the increase in the number of deaths due to COVID-19 in the valley.
In a statement issued here, DAK President Dr Nisar ul Hassan said that the COVID-19 patients arrive at hospitals only when their condition worsens.
“Early medical intervention is key to reduce Covid deaths but the patients come to hospitals when their lungs are largely affected which decreases their chances of survival,” he said.
He said that most of them reach hospitals when COVID-19 is already at an advanced stage.
“We receive patients with critically low oxygen saturation levels as low as 50-60 per cent.”
DAK President said that many patients have bought oxygen cylinders and oxygen concentrators and use them at home to ease symptoms and report to hospitals only when their condition deteriorates.
“This delay in reporting to hospitals is proving fatal and is contributing to the high mortality among Covid-19 patients,” he said.
“One big problem with Covid is silent hypoxia, a condition in which patients have extremely low blood oxygen levels, yet do not show signs of difficulty in breathing,” Dr Nisar said.
He said that the ICU beds in hospitals are full. As a result of which, a patient whose condition has already deteriorated has to wait in a ward for a longer duration which increases complexities.
The DAK president said shifting critically ill patients who are on life-support from various hospitals to COVID-19 designated hospitals are also contributing to increased mortality.
”We need to revisit the existing protocols for shifting critically ill patients, who test positive for COVID-19 at different hospitals,” he added.
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