Ensure medical aid to non-Covid patients

While there is no denying that those who have contracted Covid-19 should be provided with the best possible medical aid, non-Covid patients cannot be left in the lurch at the same time. With the pandemic disrupting the healthcare system, patients with cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and other ailments have failed to receive timely medical attention. While the lockdown delayed non-emergency procedures, the diversion of doctors towards Covid-related duties further compounded matters. Now, Victoria Hospital, the biggest government facility in Bengaluru has been converted into an exclusive Covid centre, with no access to patients with other disorders. Dr H Sudarshan Ballal, a member of Karnataka expert committee on Covid-19 is on record that many non-Covid patients succumbed to their illnesses because they could not get the required care at hospitals. It is indeed inhuman to sacrifice a non-Covid life to save a Covid patient. All lives are equally important and a person suffering from any ailment should have the same access to medical attention and care as a Covid patient. One way to end this discrimination would be to designate some hospitals as exclusive non-Covid facilities.

All this, once again, boils down to the total lack of preparedness by the state government, though experts had warned of a second wave much in advance. In the interim, the health department failed to strengthen the manpower or ramp up the number of beds and ICU facilities. This, according to the Karnataka Association of Resident Doctors has led to a situation where non-Covid beds are “snatched” for Covid patients. The panic associated with the pandemic has also led to a clogging of medical facilities by patients who do not need hospitalisation. Former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy himself could not get a bed at a prominent private hospital. Health Minister K Sudhakar has clarified that 95% of those testing positive do not need hospitalisation and people with mild and moderate symptoms can be treated at temporary facilities such as hotels. Besides, according to Union Health Ministry statistics, Covid has a very high recovery rate and a low death rate of about 1.3%, much lower than other diseases.

Another factor contributing to the over-crowding of hospitals is the discontinuation of supply of medical kits to those under self-isolation, failure to deploy doctors on home visits, non-availability of sound medical advice due to the inefficiency of call centre and above all, unnecessary anxiety. The government should tie-up these loose ends, which will not only free beds and reduce the pressure on hospitals but also ensure that non-Covid patients are not left to fend for themselves.