75% ICU beds still occupied in Chandigarh government hospitals

Naina Mishra

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 6

Even as the Covid cases are declining in Chandigarh, there has been no relief when it comes to the occupancy of ventilator beds in ICUs at three city government hospitals. More than 75 per cent ICU beds continue to remain occupied. Meanwhile, around 62 per cent oxygen beds are now vacant.

At the PGI, only 11 ICU beds were lying vacant as on Sunday out the total 78 beds. Prof GD Puri, Dean (Academics) and Head, Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, said: “Earlier, critical patients were not being admitted to the ICU due to lack of beds. Now, a majority of them are accommodated at the hospital. Such patients stay there for two to three weeks after admission following which the beds fall vacant.”

Prof Jagat Ram, Director, PGI, Chandigarh, said: “There has been a reduction in only those patients who require oxygen support, but critically ill patients are still coming to the hospital, showing that there has been a little decline in such cases. The critical patients take longer than 20 days in ICUs.”

Prof Ram said: “Besides treating serious patients of Covid-19, we are also doing surgeries on mucormycosis (black fungus) patients at the ICU wards of Covid-19 as these patients are also Covid positive. The mucormycosis patients require critical care during and after surgery as well.”

Dr Jasvinder Kaur, Director of Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, said: “The admission to ICUs is gradually reducing.”

Dr Paramjit Singh, Deputy Medical Superintendent of the GMSH, Sector 16, said: “We are shifting Covid patients to ICUs so that we can monitor them closely. However, the requirement for oxygen has decreased substantially.”