Covid second wave: A closer look at the healthcare facilities in India's top 7 cities

As the coronavirus continues to creep across the country, hospitals have reported a shortage of beds, ventilators and oxygen – three critical needs to deal with the surge in COVID-19 cases. ETV Bharat brings to you a special report on the healthcare facilities in India’s top seven cities.

Hyderabad:The second wave of coronavirus has once again exposed serious chinks in the country’s healthcare system. There is a severe shortage of oxygen, ventilators and beds as hospitals across the country are not able to cope with a steady increase in the number of Covid-19 infections and deaths.

According to the data released on Thursday, for the first time in the country, the figure of new COVID patients in a day has crossed 3.14 lakh. Breaking its pandemic record every day, these figures are increasing the pressure on the health infrastructure of the country every moment.

ETV Bharat brings to you a special report on the healthcare facilities in India's top seven cities.

• BED FACILITY FOR COVID-19 PATIENTS

The COVID-19 patients are forced to go through an unprecedented kind of hardship due to the shortage of beds in most hospitals of the country. After the first wave of the pandemic, many hospitals across the country were made COVID dedicated hospitals. But the way lakhs of new patients are coming every day has increased the difficulties for both the hospital management and the patients.

It is to be kept in mind that patients suffering from other diseases are also getting admitted due to which the pressure on hospitals is increasing.

• OXYGEN-LINKED BEDS AND VENTILATORS

The COVID-19 patients are faced with multiple issues. It is not just about getting beds in hospitals, even if they get beds then the shortage of oxygen haunts them.

Most of the hospitals are facing hardships in making oxygen available to patients who need life-saving interventions.

From Delhi to Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, the news about the shortage of oxygen is pouring in from all quarters in the past few days. Oxygen consumption is increasing with the increasing number of patients as they face the problem of breathlessness.

The data of ventilators and beds with oxygen facilities

Apart from COVID-19 patients, those who are suffering from various other diseases also need oxygen which has led to a shortage of oxygen in many hospitals.

Many times patients have to be put on a ventilator if the situation gets worse. The demand for ventilators also increased during the first wave of the pandemic.

• NUMBER OF PATIENTS IN HOSPITAL

The number of COVID patients is increasing by an average of over three lakh per day which has led to a rush of patients in hospitals.

The data of patients getting admitted to hospitals every day

In view of the lack of beds and oxygen in hospitals, many patients are not even being admitted to the hospitals.

Delhi, Mumbai, Bhopal and Raipur are among the cities where maximum cases of COVID-19 are being reported.

As a result, the number of patients admitted to the hospitals in these cities has also increased, but the facilities with the hospitals are limited.

• NEED TO MAKE NEW BEDS

On an average of over three lakh new patients are being reported in an interval of every 24 hours from across the country. The pressure on hospitals is also mounting.

In such a situation, the central and state governments will have to find new avenues and ways to deal with the situation smoothly.

The data of new beds apart from hospital beds

The Delhi government also has decided to install new beds at the Commonwealth Games Village. Similarly in Assam, a stadium was converted into a COVID Care Centre.

Last year, during the first wave of the pandemic, many state governments had made beds and other necessary facilities for patients from hotels to stadiums and other institutions by making them COVID-19 care centres.

Overall, in the second wave of the pandemic, there is a basket of health facilities across the country.

From the ventilator to oxygen and bed facilities are being made available by the governments but amid the increasing number of new patients of coronavirus, every effort of the governments is proving either unsuccessful or not enough to mitigate the people’s woes.

In such a situation, experts are of the opinion that after the treatment, it is better to take measures to stay safe.

One needs to take precautions to keep COVID-19 away from himself and use masks, social distancing and sanitisers as well.