Just 10 ventilators to treat all!

Aparna Banerji

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Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 16

Already overburdened with a rising number of Covid-19 patients in the district, the Health Department is struggling with another seasonal problem of snakebites.

Amid the ongoing crisis, an increasing number of snakebite cases from the district and its periphery areas have added to the woes of the overworked health staff at the Jalandhar Civil Hospital.

Mere 10 ventilators at the Civil Hospital are insufficient to deal with cases of both Covid-19 and snakebites.

As many as 15 cases of snakebites have been reported in the district from June 20 till now, of which at least four to five had to be kept on ventilators. Last year, over 198 cases of snakebites were reported at the Civil Hospital in the summer and monsoon seasons. In addition, of the 32 Covid deceased in the district, at least 15 had to be kept on ventilators.

A total of 1,467 Covid positive cases have been reported in the district so far and many of them were also referred to Ludhiana and Amritsar. Had they been reported to Jalandhar, the number of patients put on ventilators would have increased dramatically.

At present, two ICUs run at the Civil Hospital. Of these one is an 18-bed trauma ward ICU, which is used to house Covid patients, while the other 10-bed ICU is used to house other medical emergencies. A team of eight anaesthetists is slugging it out — working double shifts between both kinds of emergencies. Of them, seven are deputed at the Civil Hospital and one at the ESI Hospital, which currently functions as the Civil Hospital.

The anesthetists were recently lauded for their services by the government.

Jalandhar is considered a hub for treating snakebite cases in the region owing to lack of proper facilities at other regional and periphery centres. Many snakebite cases are being reported from Kapurthala, Nawanshahr and Hoshiarpur.

According to doctors, of about 15 Covid positive people put on ventilators so far, all have succumbed. Barring this, the ICU also handles other medical emergencies such as snakebites.