Eight of the nine government hospitals in Tiruvallur district have allocated beds to treat COVID-19 patients but have no staff, K. Jayakumar, Member of Parliament, has claimed in a letter to Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan.
Of the 635 beds in nine GHs in the district, 260 have been allocated for COVID-19 patients. However, only the Tiruttani GH has admitted 37 patients.
Mr. Jayakumar listed the hospitals and the bed strength in his letter. The district has GHs in Ponneri (120 beds); Tiruttani (205); Gummidipoondi (50); Uthukottai (60); Pallipattu (50); Pazhaverkadu (32); Pothaturpettai (36); Avadi (50); and Poonamallee (32).
While Ponneri GH has demarcated 30 beds, in Tiruttani GH 60 beds were allotted for COVID-19 patients. Gummidipoondi, Uthukottai and Pallipattu GHs had set aside 40 beds each; Pazhaverkadu, Pothatupettai and Avadi GHs had allocated 10 beds each. Poonamallee GH had set aside 20 beds.
While in Tiruttani GH 37 patients were undergoing treatment, the rest of the hospitals did not admit COVID-19 patients. The only reason cited was lack of staff, the MP added.
Mr. Jayakumar said, “The only reason given by the eight GHs listed for not handling COVID-19 cases is that they have no staff though 260 beds are demarcated for the this purpose.”
He further said: “People are dying like flies and rats and situation is changing from worse to dangerous to alarming. And the government’s inability to could not organise a handful of local staff to provide menial services reflects heavily on the quality of the administration. This is not acceptable.”
Mr. Jayakumar urged the official to permit GH heads to recruit people and commence COVID services wherever beds are allocated. “Without staff merely demarcating beds for the sake of counts is meaningless,” he pointed out.
