ICU crunch deepens as patient load surges

Bulging population strain affordable govt hospitals

LAHORE:

The city's rapidly growing population coupled with an increasing disease burden has left the public sector hospitals facing a shortage of intensive care unit (ICUs) beds for critically ill patients.

According to sources, Lahore's major healthcare facilities, including the Services, Mayo, Ganga Ram and General Hospitals, are operating far beyond their capacity.

The situation is reported to be the worst at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and Mayo Hospital, where ICU and emergency areas are overwhelmed with patients in critical condition awaiting beds. Hospital sources said doctors' written recommendations for ICU transfers in serious cases are not implemented sometimes due to the unavailability of beds.

In the two largest hospitals, additional critically ill patients are being managed in emergency wards through makeshift arrangements, increasing risks to them.

A senior doctor at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said, "We are seeing multiple cases daily where patients require ventilator support or intensive monitoring but we simply do not have the space."

In some cases, attendants wait for hours in the city hospitals in the hope of getting a vacant ICU bed.

An attendant said they had been moving between hospitals while their patient was in a critical condition. "Every hospital is telling us the same thing as no ICU bed is available without the MS's recommendation," he alleged.

The medical superintendent (MS) of a hospital conceded that its ICU was full and unable to accommodate new patients. The situation was reported to be similar in Services Hospital.

.Health experts argue that despite repeated claims of reforms and capacity enhancement, the number of ICU beds has not kept pace with Lahore's population growth and rising healthcare demands. With millions relying on government hospitals due to unaffordable private care the pressure has intensified significantly.

Recent trends, including seasonal infections, respiratory illnesses and complications from chronic diseases, have further increased hospital admissions. The experts said such surges were predictable and required advance planning, particularly for expanding the critical care infrastructure.

Shortage of trained medical staff and functional equipment have compounded the problems In some cases, even where ICU spaces exist, limited staffing or unfunctional ventilators reduce operational capacity. This creates a situation where available resources cannot be fully utilised.

A public health specialist stressed the need for urgent expansion of ICU facilities, recruitment of specialised staff and improved emergency response systems.

On the other hand, the provincial health authorities have consistently maintained that steps are being taken to upgrade hospital infrastructure.

"We have sufficient space at hospitals to treat patients as we receive bed occupancy reports from hospitals on a daily basis. In the reports in the last few days. However, in case of unavailability of beds, we inform attendants to wait for space but it does not mean that the hospitals deny treatment," said a health department spokesperson, Sayed Hamad Raza.

He added that the Punjab government was increasing the beds in hospital wards and ICUs, while doctors and other medical staff members would also be recruited.