Telangana: 37 rural hospitals gasp for oxygen, ICU beds

HYDERABAD: After state health minister Eatala Rajender on Tuesday denied there was shortage of oxygen in hospitals, it was found that at least 19 hospitals have no oxygenequipped beds and 18 hospitals lack ICU beds out of 53 government hospitals designated as Covid-19 treatment centres in Telangana.


Entire districts like Kumaram Bheem-Asifabad, Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri, Warangal (Rural) and Nagarkurnool have no oxygen-equipped beds.

This was found in an official data on availability of oxygen beds, ICU beds in government hospitals treating Covid-19 patients , highlighting lack of critical medical and health infra in tribal and rural hinterland of Telangana.

Expressing concern, health experts said that since the virus has already spread to 1,500 villages and positive cases are rising in towns and villages, lack of critical infra could prove to be a health disaster. Community health expert Dr Vijay Kumar Reddy said oxygen and ICU beds are crucial in treatment of positive patients.

“Lack of oxygen often leads to casualties. In tribal areas, it is difficult for people to travel as most villages are either remote or inaccessible. By the time the patient is brought to the nearest hospital which has oxygen facility and ICU beds, crucial time will be lost,” he pointed out.

Presently, most number of oxygen and ICU beds are in government hospitals of Greater Hyderabad, Warangal Urban, Vikarabad, Nizamabad and Adilabad town. While Medchal district has been witnessing a sharp surge in the cases after Greater Hyderabad and Rangareddy, Ghatkesar CHC that falls in Medchal has no oxygen beds.

When contacted, public health director Dr G Srinivasa Rao told TOI that reorganised districts do not have oxygen and ICU beds. “In erstwhile district headquarters, we have hospitals with oxygen and ICU beds. But, people need not worry ad the erstwhile district headquarters hospitals are within their reach. Patients can be shifted there in critical cases. For instance, Kumaram Bheem-Asifabad district patients can be shifted to RIMS, Adilabad. The travel time is less than 45 minutes,” he said.

All teaching hospitals like RIMS in Adilabad fall under the purview of director of medical education, whereas the district hospitals, area hospitals and CHCs come under the jurisdiction of Telangana Vaidya Vidhana Parishad, one of the divisions of health and family welfare department.