As a result of a spike in the Covid infections and active cases in districts under GHMC limits, getting a hospital bed with oxygen or ventilator support has become a tough task for patients and their relatives. Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences (TIMS) Gachibowli, is the only government hospital that still has ventilator and oxygen beds for patients with moderate and severe Coronavirus infections.

However, with the continuous surge in cases, the beds in TIMS are expected to be filled within a week. All the 619 ventilator beds at the Gandhi Hospital are filled while there are at least another 300 vacant oxygen beds.

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Due to the struggle in accessing hospital beds, critical patients are ending up travelling long distances for oxygen beds and ventilators. With the situation expected to turn worse in the coming weeks, the public could find it even more difficult to access beds with oxygen and ventilator support, senior doctors fear.

The tertiary government hospitals like Gandhi Hospital, TIMS and Chest Hospital also, extend treatment facilities to critical patients from other parts of the State. For the past 15 days, there are patients from other districts, referred by doctors from local Community Health Centres(CHCs).

Besides, doctors from CHCs in districts instead of referring patients to the local AH or DH that are equipped with oxygen or ventilator supporting beds are referring critical patients to Gandhi and TIMS. A majority of them die while being transported.

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“We have given strict orders to our CHC doctors to first refer critical patients to local DH or AH,” Health Minister Etela Rajender had pointed out.

There are already signs of distress, as almost all the medium and super-speciality private hospitals with more than 100-beds in the three districts are operating to their full capacity, with very few beds with oxygen and ICU/ventilator support left.

Health officials are suggesting that patients with mild symptoms requiring oxygen support seek admissions in smaller health care facilities like local private clinics and nursing homes. Patients needing ICU or ventilator care are advised to find a bed with super-speciality health care facilities.