‘52% beds unoccupied, additional oxygen stock at handy’
Udaipur : While most of the districts across the state are reeling under severe shortage of oxygen and zero availability of beds and ventilators, there is a big piece of relief from Dungarpur. The COVID hospital here has 52 percent beds unoccupied, there is enough, infact additional stock of oxygen cylinders and above all,there has been a sharp decline i.e. 40 to 50% decline in the pandemic caused death rate.
Two special campaigns ‘ Chikitsa aapke dwar’ and ‘Mera Ward-Mera Gaon-Mera Jila’ by the district administration, started almost a month ago, is now showing results. Medical teams that had gone door-to-door in the entire district and covered almost every households,had identified 13 thousand 512 persons with I.L.I (Influenza-like-illness) in the primary stage itself which proved a significant role in checking the virus spread. These people were given medical kits, strictly quarantined at homes itself, thus avoiding the unnecessary rushes in hospitals.
This enables the serious patients to get admissions and accessibility to oxygen and ventilator beds without sufferings and queues.” In most of the cases, people do not report that they are infectious immediately and after four-five days when oxygen level drop in their bodies, things go beyond repair. We launched the campaigns with the motive to identify the virus at preliminary stage and treat the patient without delay” Suresh Kumar Ola, Dungarpur Collector said. During the campaign, migrant population too was targeted. They were home quarantined, treated for minor ailments and monitored regularly.
The administration also roped in activists,officials and public representatives including panchs and sarpanchs to counsel people to refrain from holding marriages and any kind of functions to avert the possibilities of congregations of people that could trigger the contagion. Another intense survey was completed in 4 days to cross check the data collected. ” It was a herculean task but our team did it. Total 838 teams reached out to every single village, co-ordinated with core committees, sarpanch, ward panch, ANMs and covered 3,01779 homes and surveyed 16,32569 people.
Thirty officers were made incharge for the task to crosscheck the accuracy of the surveyed data” the collector said. While the collector himself visited homes, ADM Krishnapal Singh Chouhan, CEO Zila Parishad Anjali Rajoria and other officials too were directed to remain in field. The officials contacted the home isolated patients through video calls and gave demo of proning technique to stabilise the oxygen level in bodies. ” It is a piece of relief that while in April there were around 200 patients in the district COVID hospital, in past 7 days,their number has reduced to 150. Of the total 305 beds here,155 beds are vacant. The follow-up activities will continue untill we completely get control over the pandemic situation” Ola said.