With the rapid surge in Covid-19 cases, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is facing a daunting task to manage over 70 percent hospitalised patients who are either on oxygen or ventilator support.
Around 80 percent of the over 56,000 active Covid-19 patients are in home isolation as most of them have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic. Currently, there are over 45,000 patients quarantined at home.
Due to the increasing demand of medical oxygen supply in city hospitals, the civic body has ordered its import from Karnataka. Along with this, small oxygen plants will be set up at Naidu and Dalvi Hospitals.
“There is limited availability of beds for hospitalization of Covid-19 patients even though the PMC is working hard towards increasing the number of beds in the city. The over 80 percent of active patients in home isolation is a big relief but those in need of hospitalization are less in percent but large in number due to the increasing number of active patients,” a civic officer said.
Of the 10,530 patients hospitalized across the city, more than half are on oxygen support while around 12 percent are in critical condition. “The number of patients on oxygen and those in critical condition are continuously changing as the patients in home isolation report their changing health situation. There are 5,926 patients on oxygen while there are a total of 6,002 beds for those in need of oxygen. Also, the 1,268 patients are in critical condition and admitted in ICU in various city hospitals. Unfortunately, the demand continues to increase,” he added.
“The PMC plans to add 512 new beds in the total capacity for Covid19 patients in the city this week so that more critical patients can be accommodated,” municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar said during the latest Covid-19 review meeting.
Meanwhile, Mayor Murlidhar Mohol has been insisting the state government to increase the beds for Covid19 patients in Sassoon hospital of the state government. Thus, a meeting of hospital authorities has been convened by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to discuss the demand for the same.
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