Over 7k beds reserved for Covid-19 vacant

Currently, 2,000 beds are occupied by patients

LAHORE: The Punjab health ministry has allocated 9,037 out of the total 43,097 beds in its 249 hospitals across the province for coronavirus patients, of which about 7,000 are currently vacant.

On the instruction of the provincial government, the ministry has also earmarked 763 ventilators exclusively for Covid-19 patients.

Of the over 9,000 beds, about 2,000 are filled and 7,025 are vacant, while 95 ventilators are being used and 668 are available for the patients if the need arises.

The ministry’s data shows that there are 27,013 beds in 46 government teaching hospitals being run by the Department of Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education.

In the institutions, the allotted number of single-bed isolation rooms is 551, of which 307 are filled and 244 are vacant. The isolation wards set up in the teaching hospitals have 2,088 beds. Of them, 544 beds are filled and 1,544 are vacant. Out of 449 beds in high-dependency units, 210 are filled and 239 are vacant.

Out of 303 ventilators in government teaching hospitals, 64 are being used and 239 are free.

There are 14,042 beds in 142 district and tehsil headquarters hospitals run under the provincial Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department, in which 2,744 beds are allocated for isolation wards. Of them 357 beds are filled and 2,387 are vacant, while out of the 79 allotted ventilators eight are under use and 71 are available for patients.

There are 2,002 beds in eight field hospitals, out of which 12 are single-bed isolation rooms. None of the isolation rooms is filled. Of the 1,866 beds in isolation wards in the field hospitals, 309 are filled and 1,557 are vacant. All the 10 beds in high-dependency units are vacant but not a single ventilator is available for them.

Similarly, 201 out of 1,002 beds in the isolation wards set up in 53 private hospitals are filled, while 801 are vacant, whereas 74 out of 305 beds in the high-dependency units are filled and 231 are vacant.

Of the 381 ventilators in the private hospitals in Punjab, 23 are being used and 358 are available.

Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid said that the numbers continue to fluctuate every day. However, patients and their families should not go to hospitals on their own if their coronavirus test is positive.

In this regard, the government has developed a modern application for Rescue 1122, through which the staff immediately check the available beds and ventilators in hospitals in each area.

“Those who show symptoms of coronavirus should contact Rescue 1122, whose teams immediately transfer the patients to the nearest isolation wards,” the minister said.

However, none of the government or private hospitals, except the field hospitals, has been declared a dedicated coronavirus hospital by the government. Instead, beds and ventilators have been allocated in each hospital as per the need and capacity.

Dr Rashid said there is room for increasing the number of beds and ventilators as per requirement. Instead of worrying, people should take 100% precautionary measures, she said. The government is providing every medical facility to patients infected with coronavirus, she added.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2020.