Tertiary care hospitals report decrease in patient load
Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, June 2: Contrary to what the situation was a few weeks ago due to the surge in the COVID-19 positive cases leading to panic among the population, Kashmir is now witnessing considerable decrease in the number of SOS calls for oxygen per day as well as the occupancy in the hospitals.
The citizen groups and NGOs which have been working to provide the necessary assistance to the people in need during the peak with regard to the oxygen cylinder, concentrators as well as medicines told Excelsior that they are witnessing a more than 50 per cent decrease in the daily SOS calls across Kashmir.
Officials of SRO Kashmir which is the biggest NGO in the Valley working towards providing the necessary help to the people, told Excelsior that they used to receive more than 400 SOS calls for oxygen during the peak of the COVID in Kashmir while the same has come down substantially.
“From 400 calls per day during the peak to not more than 100 calls per day, there has been a substantial decrease in the number of SOS calls for some time now,” Afaq Sayeed, who heads the SRO Kashmir told Excelsior.
He also said now that the patients are getting discharged from the hospitals, they usually get calls for the oxygen concentrators for home use which are fewer.
Other groups that are working in Srinagar and other Kashmir districts told Excelsior that they are also witnessing a decrease in the number of SOS calls for oxygen and other related needs.
“From over 30 SOS calls per day to just 3-4 calls; there has been a considerable decrease; as of now we are getting fewer calls regarding oxygen concentrators for home use of the patients who are being discharged from the hospitals,” Deeba Ashraf, a volunteer working with a group named SOS JK #COVID said.
Mir Sameer of ‘Help Together,’ operating from Pampore and catering to the larger medical needs of the people in Pulwama, also said that during the peak they used to get around 120 SOS calls per day. “The same has been reduced to 40-50 calls per day,” he said.
On the other side, the tertiary care hospitals are also witnessing a relief with the number of vacant beds increasing with every passing day, letting the overstretched system breathe.
Medical Superintendent SMHS—which is a COVID dedicated hospital with a bed strength of 300—Dr Kanwarjit Singh told Excelsior that there has been a decrease in the patient load at the hospital.
“The hospital used to remain occupied but now more than 80 beds remain vacant every day,” he said.
The same is the situation at the Chest Diseases Hospital which, as per the Medical Superintendent Dr Salim Tak, has also witnessed a decrease of at least 20 per cent in the patient load.
“Out of 150 beds, 100 at CD and 50 at Kashmir Nursing Home, over 20 beds remain vacant; there sure is an improvement in the situation,” he said.
Pertinent to mention here, that the Government has augmented the Oxygen generation capacity at the tertiary care as well as the hospital in the peripheries and with the decrease in the COVID cases, officials said, the supply is going to cater to the needs.
As per MED, as of now, the total oxygen production capacity in Kashmir is 36,000 LPM which is going to be increased to 45000 LMP in the coming days.
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