The largest public hospital in India, Naresh Gautem’s ICU, has reported going from 50% bed capacity to almost full in only 20 hours. In New Delhi, the Safdarjung Hospital has also reported front-line workers having shifts up to 16 hours to care for patients with COVID-19.
As of January, 2022, the staffing and shortages at India's largest hospital highlights a dangerous problem in the current pandemic. The problem is not only in the number of beds at these hospitals but in the shortage of staff and doctors, which is caused by the government delaying medical residents placement at hospitals.
World Health Organization (WHO) has deployed over 3000 public health specialists to help with 175,000 covid-19 centers and hospitals across India. The UN is creating emergency measures by providing equipment such as concentrators, ventilators, and oxygen-generating plants. In addition to these public health solution, hospitals in India must realize this problem to begin internal efforts to improve these statistics.
Some potential solutions to this are: Bringing back retired health care workers or students for phone calls and consultations of patients, Switching staff over to COVID wards
or converting other buildings in the hospital to exclusively house COVID patients.
Punit Paranjpe/AFP/Getty Images)
Comments