The Wait For Hospital Beds Gets Harrowing
The New Indian Express Chennai|May 07, 2021
Over the last 2 days, the number of calls to helplines with requests for finding beds have more than tripled; a few succumb to infection before finding vacancies at hospital
Sushmitha Ramakrishnan
The Wait For Hospital Beds Gets Harrowing
Robert (name changed) died two days ago. After running from one hospital to another for a couple of days, 59-year-old Robert's family admitted him into a government hospital in Thoothukudi on May 2. “But we could not find an ICU bed. He had no oxygen. That is the main reason he died,” rued his nephew speaking to express.

Over the past couple of days, the number of calls to various Covid-19 helplines have more than tripled. reason: people are unable to find hospital beds, particularly those with access to oxygen facilities. Many volunteers Express spoke to on Thursday said that at least a handful of Covid patients passed away before they could find them vacancies at hospitals.

Robert’s family, who had no choice but to tag along with him on the search for an ICU bed, are grieving helplessly in private under home quarantine. “The whole family was exposed to him. What will we do if someone else starts showing symptoms?” the nephew wonders.

Chitra, a Covid positive person from Kolathur, developed breathlessness on Thursday morning. After performing a chest CT on Wednesday, she was told that infection had spread to 50 per cent of her lungs. “My mother is a little breathless. Private or government hospital, I will manage to take my mother if we find a bed with oxygen,” her daughter laments over the call.

This story is from the May 07, 2021 edition of The New Indian Express Chennai.

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This story is from the May 07, 2021 edition of The New Indian Express Chennai.

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