DHANGADHI, APRIL 22
Sudur Pashchim Province is grappling with a high rate of coronavirus infection at present. However, hospitals there are not being able to bring the ventilators and Intensive Care Units (ICUs) to use due to lack of adequate qualified human resources.
The Provincial government had installed two ventilators and two ICUs each in 10 hospitals – Seti Zonal Hospital, Tikapur Hospital, Mahakali Hospital, Dadheldhura Hospital, among others, five months ago.
Of these, Seti Zonal Hospital, Mahakali Hospital and Dadhehura Hospital are the only ones using the equipments, Sudur Pashchim Province Health Directorate informed. The hospital authorities shared that it was due to lack of qualified resources.
The Directorate shared that the anaesthesiologists and critical care physicians who are required in ICUs and to operate ventilators are only available in Seti and Mahakali Hospitals.
On the other hand, Dadhedhura
Hospital has trained available doctors to use the equipment.
According to Provincial Health Director Guna Raj Awasthi, the doctors in other hospitals could not be sent for training due to the concerns of rising Covid-19 cases.
Bajhang District Hospital, which has not utilised its resource even once, refers the patients in serious condition to Dadheldhura or Kailali.
Meanwhile, District Hospital Doti has not used its resources not only due to lack of trained doctors but also due to lack of necessary laboratory and oxygen supplies.
This hospital, like District Hospital in Bajhang, is compelled to refer its patients to other districts.
On the other hand, Provincial Health Logistic Management Centre has purchased additional 125 ICU equipments and installed these in the hospitals very recently.
Chair of Tikapur Hospital Development Committee, Deepak Rawal complains that the provincial and central governments have not addressed its requests for human resource fulfilment yet.
With the current rise in infections, number of patients in critical condition has also risen. A total of 15 ICUs, 10 ventilators in Seti Hospital and six ICUs, five ventilators in Mahakali Hospital could be insufficient under these conditions.
