Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has revealed that there are only 30 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds available at the COEP jumbo hospital which was set up to support the poor and needy patients in large numbers. The jumbo facility which supposedly was to have 200 ICU beds for critically ill patients, has only 30 such beds as of now. Also, expert doctors are also not available at the facility which has exposed the shoddy work and management at the jumbo hospital.
With the PMC’s confession that there are only 30 ventilators available in this 800 bedded facility, it has become clear that the management at jumbo hospitals is aware that it is not possible to treat more than 30 patients and hence they are denying admission to patients. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had announced that the centre would have 600 oxygenated and 200 ICU beds.
Rubal Agarwal, Additional Commissioner of Pune Municipal Corporation said, “Civic officials are given the responsibility for admitting patients to the jumbo facility. For this a team of PMC employees has been deployed for 24 hours every day. This team will interact with the patient and their relatives and arrange for best healthcare services. On the other hand, the process of admitting Covid-19 patients on oxygen support who were currently undergoing treatment at Sassoon Hospital to the jumbo hospital has started. Agarwal also clarified that 10 patients were admitted during the day and rest all will be accommodated in phases.
Rubal Agarwal, Additional Commissioner of Pune Municipal Corporation said, “Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds are available at the Jumbo hospital facility. We have requested information about the exact availability of these beds at the centre. We will take appropriate action against the agencies involved and who are responsible for the shortcomings at the facility. We will ensure that the needy patients get treatment at the centre in time.”
