Surat (Gujarat): Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel on Sunday admitted that the present requirement of beds and other healthcare facilities in wake of the spike in coronavirus cases is beyond the administration's capacity.
Patel, who handles the health portfolio, said though the state government is adding more facilities and beds at regular intervals to accommodate more patients, it is falling short of demand.
Also read: Hospitals run out of beds in Gujarat amid surge in COVID-19 cases
"Over 9,000 new coronavirus cases are spurting in Gujarat every day. Though we are adding new facilities and beds at regular intervals, it falls short against the demand," Patel told reporters at the civil hospital campus here.
"Requirement for beds and other healthcare facilities in the present situation is beyond the health department and administration's capacity," he said.
Commenting on the long queue of ambulances carrying coronavirus patients outside the civil hospital, Patel said it is the government's obligation to save each and every patient turned away by other hospitals.
"Long queues happen because other hospitals refuse to admit patients. They then come to us for treatment. Such queues are not a pleasant sight, but it is our obligation to save each and every patient. Till they are admitted in the hospital or in the ambulance, we try to keep them alive by supplying oxygen," he added.
Gujarat reported as many as 9,541 coronavirus cases and 97 deaths on Saturday, the highest one-day case count and death toll for the state since the pandemic broke out.
