Nagpur: Call it blessing in disguise or befitting reaction, Nagpur witnessed a massive increase in healthcare facilities after the devastating second wave of Covid-19 in the city.
The Covid rage left the district administration helpless in tackling the surge in patients due to lack of required healthcare facilities. However, the concerned authorities swung into action and made concerted efforts to boost facilities. As a result, the number of beds, oxygen beds and ICU beds in hospitals in Nagpur increased eight times this year from 989 beds to 7,730 beds compared to last year. This increase in facilities helped the district administration succeed in bringing the second wave of COVID-19 under control in just one month.
In Nagpur, the first Covid case was reported in March 2020. By April 2020, the number reached 989. The city saw a peak in September 2020 with the number of cases reaching 3,454. But compared to it, the second wave played havoc. The number of COVID-19 patients reached 4,682 in March and 7,632 in April. Despite the spike, there were no deaths due to lack of beds, oxygen and ventilators in city, the district administration claimed.
During the second wave, the situation was controlled with remedies suggested by experts. In April last, there were only 989 beds for COVID-19 patients. With an over eightfold increase, the number reached 7,730 by May 30, 2021. During the second wave, the patients needed oxygen, as most of them complained about breathlessness. In April 2020, there were only 805 oxygen beds in the city. Now the city has 4,810 such beds. Also beds in ICU have increased by 92 per cent in comparison. In April last year, there were only 184 ICU beds in the city. Now, the number has reached 2,314. Number of ventilators in the city last year was 87. There are now 579 ventilators available.
As the second wave of Covid-19 hit the city hard, the need for medical oxygen was felt in massive proportions as hundreds of patients complained of breathlessness. In April 2020, Nagpur had only 58 MT of oxygen supply. Now, the city is producing 160 MT oxygen. Patients from neighbouring Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh states were also treated in the city.
To strengthen health facilities, focus was on to increase the number of beds in Government Medical College and Hospital, Indira Gandhi Government Medical College. Similarly, recognition of some private institutions as Dedicated Covid Hospitals facilitated admission of patients on time.
The Nagpur Guardian Minister Dr Nitin Ruat said, “We were all worried over Covid-19 situation in the city and the challenges were quite tough. But the team work ensured that the same was also overcome. The only alternative was to increase and strengthen healthcare facilities. This was made possible with the co-operation of official machinery.”
