As Karnataka struggles with COVID-19 beds, private hospitals launch innovative plans

Bengaluru: Karnataka is slowly catching up on the recovery rate -- 59.92%. But the health infrastructure in the state continues to be in shambles due to acute shortage of hospital beds. However, some private hospitals have come forward with innovative programmes to mitigate the problem .

Gleneagles Global Hospitals and Continental Hospitals have a designed COVID-19 Home Care Services for patients facing mild symptoms that do not equire hospitalization. Through this comprehensive program, patients can be monitored through an online portal and the worsening of symptoms can be identified and attended to at the earliest.  

In case, patients shows symptoms or has been diagnosed with COVID-19, they can reach the hospital where they will undergo a risk assessment to evaluate their condition and judge severity of symptoms. This assessment will help the hospital know whether a patient is fit for home care or requires hospitalization. If the patient does not require hospitalization, they will have to enroll for the program.

The patients will be given access to a portal where they can update their daily vitals like temperature, SPO2, pulse rate etc. These are monitored by a fully trained designated nurse and a doctor on a daily basis, to ensure that the patient is healthy and following the program. Every alternative day, these doctors will do consultation on a video call, while nurses will call every day to keep track of their patients. During these calls, patients can discuss their condition and update on any new developments.

“Since most of the patients with COVID-19 do not require hospitalization, our team of doctors and nurses can manage these patients from the safety of their home. As long as the patients are compliant and following all the basic instructions, they can recover within a period of 14 days and become symptom-free again. The combination of initial risk assessment, daily follow ups and a clear manual on do’s and don’ts for the patient and the caregiver makes this program extremely robust and comprehensive," said Dr Subramanian Swaminathan, Chairperson, Infection Control Advisory Board- Group, Gleneagles Global Hospitals and Program Director.

BEL produces 30K ventilators

Meanwhile, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), has announced the completion of 30,000 ICU Ventilators to combat the pandemic. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had earlier placed an order for these 30,000 ICU Ventilators in April 2020 to meet the healthcare infrastructure requirements of the nation, given the rise in COVID-19 cases.

As manufacturing of these Ventilators was centred at the Bangalore Unit of BEL, the state government earmarked a nodal IAS officer for BEL to resolve various lockdown-related issues.

MV Gowtama, CMD, BEL, said that BEL was able to achieve this significant milestone because of the support of the DRDO labs which worked closely with BEL to provide the design and support from the various government agencies.

"BEL needed to think out of the box to overcome many of the challenges, especially with regard to critical components, many of which were indigenised by DRDO labs and manufactured by Indian aerospace and defence companies," he said.