ONGOLE: With the increasing number of coronavirus cases in Prakasam district, shortage of beds, equipment and manpower is affecting Ongole Government General Hospital (GGH-RIMS). As the hospital is overloaded with hundreds of new positive cases daily, the GGH authorities are finding it difficult to provide individual care for all Covid patients.
Now, the authorities are planning to shift all the non-Covid patients to another hospital.
The Covid-19 count in the district breached the 6,000-mark. On Sunday, 384 new cases were reported in Prakasam district, taking the Covid count to 6,034.
Now, the district has 1,431 active cases. The GGH authorities discharged 70 patients. About 20 Covid-19 positive asymptomatic persons were sent to home quarantine.
Five persons died of coronavirus on Sunday, taking the toll in the district to 76.
Among the 1,431 active cases, the GGH has 563 and Ongole-IIIT campus Covid Care Centre (CCC) 625 patients.
Remaining positive persons are under treatment at KIMS, Sanghamitra and Nalluri hospitals and RISE Covid Care Centre.
There are only 420 beds with oxygen facility and 63 ventilators in the GGH.
The government recently provided 40 ventilators. But there is a severe manpower shortage in the hospital. There is a requirement of more pulmonologists, anaesthetists and specialist doctors for the Covid-19 treatment.
Lab technicians are also required.
“The GGH has a total of 812 beds (with recent additions) and most of them are allotted to Covid-19 patients and their primary contacts who have symptoms. Around 50 non-Covid patients are also undergoing treatment in the GGH. Already we have been overloaded with Covid-19 patients. All medical wards, including the ICUs, causality and regular Covid-19 isolation wards, are full and if the trend continues, it is very difficult to manage things here. We have already informed the matter to the higher officials. Meanwhile, we are thinking of shifting the non-Covid patients to some other place,” Dr D Sreeramulu, GGH Medical Superintendent, told TNIE.