Delhi hospitals at breaking point as dengue cases rise; patients occupy ward floors, corridors

The growing dengue cases have stressed Delhi's medical system, with visuals coming out of hospitals across the national capital flooded with patients, their attendants and visitors.

According to a report by The Indian Express, on Wednesday, ward 13 in the Department of Medicine at Safdarjung Hospital was overflowing with patients occupying the floors along three corridors and some sharing beds.

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According to Dr BK Tripathi, Professor, Department of Medicine, and former head of the department, patients sharing beds or lying on the floor at the hospital is not new, though dengue cases have been stressing the system further.

In the ward, patients were on the floor in the corridors, some with bystanders accompanying them. Patients’ blankets and belongings were scattered around. Incidents of doctors crouched on the floor attending to the patients, families and visitors both inside and outside the ward, wanting to bring in food were also reported.

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The hospital does not yet have a separate ward for dengue and other viral fevers, and ward 13 has patients with other ailments as well. “We have opened a separate ward for dengue in the past when cases arose to around 40 to 60 patients daily. In the next one or two weeks, if cases keep rising, we will have to open a separate ward for dengue,” Tripathi told IE.

Dengue patients from nearby districts of Haryana, Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh also come to this hospital.

The capacity of each of the three wards in the medicine department is only for around 52 to 54 patients. “One-third of dengue patients who report to an emergency is likely to be admitted and shifted to regular wards,” the doctor added.

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