KALABURAGI: Four COVID-19 patients, who had comorbidities, died over a period of 24 hours due to non-availability of staff to man the ventilators at the Aland Taluk Hospital.Aland Taluk Health Officer Dr Abhaykumar told TNIE that 16 Covid-19 positive patients have been undergoing treatment at the Aland Taluk Hospital since the last few days. Four of them, aged above 70, developed complications on Sunday, though they were given oxygen support, and died, he said.
Though there are seven ventilator beds in the hospital, there is no expert in General Medicine, a prime requirement to handle patients on ventilators. There is no anesthetist too in the hospital, but an anesthetist posted in a primary health centre has been drafted on deputation. On Sunday, the anesthetist was unavailable.
‘Attendants were told to shift patients to GIMS’
Aland Taluk Health Officer Dr Abhaykumar claimed that he had suggested to the attendants to shift the patients to the Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) at Kalaburagi, but they chose to keep the patients in the taluk hospital itself.