Northlines Correspondent| Jammu Tawi, May 6: The Jammu Kashmir Govt's bed availability data has left people seeking Covid-19 medical assistance in the lurch. They have reported being dazed and confused by the data released on Twitter handle everyday by the Jammu Kashmir Government @DIPRJK, with many turning up at facilities that were meant to have vacancies but were in reality full-on rushing to hospital.
The Jammu Kashmir government's Twitter handle had shown 13 isolation beds and 3 ICU beds vacant and the Covidrelief.jk.gov shows 23 vacant isolation beds and 2 vacant ICU beds on the evening of May 6, 2021 at Jammu CD Hospital but the story is tad different as could be seen in the Northlines video shot earlier this afternoon at the spot.
6 May : Media Bulletin on Novel #CoronaVirusUpdates #COVID19 @OfficeOfLGJandK@nitishwarKumar@kansalrohit69@ByYati@DrSyedSehrish
@airnewsalerts@ANI @HealthMedicalE1 pic.twitter.com/MyWVFuVVN1— Information & PR, J&K (@diprjk) May 6, 2021
Heart-wrenching view at site shows scores of patients on Oxygen support sitting outside on the bare ground, in parking lots, even on stairs and streets at and around the CD Hospital Jammu.
On contacting the patients and their kin at the location, they said no beds are available and they had been asked to wait while some sort of arrangement is done. Krishan Dev Singh, a 67-year-old man who has been assisting COVID-patients informed us that the situation in Jammu was dire and that the administration was misleading the public.
Madan Gandotra, a 38-year-old resident of Jammu, said he was looking for an oxygen bed for his sister after her oxygen saturation levels dipped. We followed the information on the J&K Information Department's Twitter handle but was turned down from the CD hospital where beds were reportedly vacant.
Rajeshwar Sharma, the Medical Superintendent at CD Hospital informed the Northlines that the number of beds available is scanty and there is a high influx of patients. Although we are having adequate Oxygen, we lack enough beds to accommodate the patients. He added, we have asked the patients to wait while we make arrangements for more beds to cater for them. But we are ensuring treatment to all.
The Nodal Officer of CD Hospital said, “We are in touch with other medical facilities and checking hourly for oxygenated bed availability. We are redirecting the patients to such facilities where oxygenated beds are becoming available.” He claimed that no patient was without a bed last night. He added that this is happening mostly since hospitals are too stretched and there is a heavy footfall of patients seeking COVID assistance.
On speaking to the Nodal Officer and the Medical Superintendent at CD Hospital, it can be concluded that the figures, as shown by the government's report, are actually botched or stale and no heed is being paid to what's getting published in reports and that no one is being held accountable for publicising these unverified numbers.
In yet another instance a few days ago, the management at the popular GMC hospital in Jammu was unable to administer the influx of patients. Attendants accompanying patients were seen roaming in panic around wards and the hospital's premises without masks and precautionary gear.
“The doctors at the hospital have admitted to lapses. These attendants, who spend most of their time with COVID-19 patients, are potential carriers of the deadly infection and increase the chances of transmission in the hospital” said a doctor who requested anonymity.
On Thursday the Jammu and Kashmir High Court directed the administration to nominate an adequate number of nodal officers to ensure supply of Oxygen to patients undergoing treatment at their homes.
The government affidavit had claimed there was no shortage of beds in hospitals as there were 1,354 and 1,708 (total 3062) COVID-dedicated beds, 1,127 and 1,597 beds with oxygen, 227 and 111 ICU beds with ventilators in Jammu and Kashmir regions respectively.
J&K has witnessed a spike in COVID-19 cases with 41,666 active cases at the moment. A total of 52 reported deaths have resulted in an overall death toll of 2,562 people.
Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar today visited Govt. Medical College and reviewed the progress on construction of new Oxygen Plant of which he told two units will be functional on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Government today deputed two senior officers in view of emerging situation in J&K. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Secretary Tribal Affairs is deployed at Jammu and Zubair Ahmad, Secretary, Food and Supplies at Srinagar with Health and Medical Education Department to perform Covid containment related work.
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