'Mild’ coronavirus patients to move to treatment centers as Chennai hospitals run short of beds

With all four designated COVID-19 government hospitals in Chennai filling up fast due to increasing number of positive cases, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) will shift mild and asymptomatic patients sans co-morbid conditions to “treatment centres” that are being set up by converting convention halls and college hostels.

This is to ensure COVID-19 patients, who are symptomatic, critical and possess other health complications, have enough beds to get treated at these hospitals that are equipped to deal with any kind of exigencies. Also, the move would help ease crowding at government hospitals.

More than 70 per cent of beds in four COVID-19 hospitals – Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH), Kilpauk Medical College Hospital (KMCH), Stanley Medical College Hospital (SMCH) and Government Omandurar Medical College Hospital (GOMCH) – are already full and the remaining are also filing fast.

While the GOMCH has 500 beds, the remaining three medical college hospitals have 400 beds each, making it a total of 1,700. The city has been witnessing a massive spurt in the number of COVID-19 cases in the past one week – as of Monday morning, the city had a total of 1,458 patients of whom 1,210 are active coronavirus cases.

“These are not just quarantine or isolation centres. These are treatment centres. Patients who are asymptomatic and less prone to complications will be moved to the treatment centres that will have all basic facilities required for them. Besides doctors, paramedics will also be available at these centres,” Dr M Jagadeesan, Chennai City Health Officer, told DH.

While a 600-bedded treatment facility at the Chennai Trade Centre and two other centres at educational institutions are ready to receive patients, Jagadeesan said more such centres are being set up across the city.

P Kumaravel Pandian, Deputy Commissioner (Works), GCC, told DH that 3,000 beds are ready at present and the civic body was “working silently” in converting more buildings into “treatment centres.”

All the four government hospitals in the city have been asked to prepare a list of patients who can be moved to “treatment and quarantine” centres that have been set up by converting hostels and convention halls.

Dr R Jayanti, Dean of RGGGH said patients who are asymptomatic and whose X-ray is “normal” will be shifted from hospitals to such centres.

“We have already identified asymptomatic patients who are under the age of 50 without any co-morbid conditions and who can be shifted to these treatment centres. This is being done to ensure symptomatic patients who need more medical care can be admitted to the hospital,” she told DH.

She expressed the hope that such patients will be moved to “treatment centres” in the next few days. KMCH dean Dr P Vasanthamani also spoke on similar lines, saying the hospital will move young asymptomatic patients at separate facilities earmarked by the GCC.

“There will be a shortage of beds if the situation continues to be like this. The GCC has identified 3 institutions where we can shift asymptomatic and stable patients. We will shift them to these centres where they will be taken care by doctors, paramedics and will be given the same treatment like in hospitals,” Dr Vasanthamani told DH.

Kumaravel Pandian said the GCC was in the process of converting hostels in institutions and convention halls into treatment and quarantine centres. “We are well prepared to handle any kind of situation. We have 3,000 beds ready for now and more are being readied. There is no need to panic,” he said.