Principal says SMCH ready with 400 beds; Lack of Grade IV staff hampering cleanliness

Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) is under immense stress as there are more than 200 patients in the COVID ward and most of them are on oxygen support. As per SMCH principal Babul Bezbaruah, “At present, there are 100 ICU beds, 120 gynae-psychiatry beds, 50 eye department beds which adds up to 270 and is sufficient for the time being. We’re making another 120 beds ready in the surgery department. So, we are prepared to tackle up to 400 patients. If it goes above 400 then we will have to stop non-covid admission in the hospital. I have watched a site for ICU beds in the eastern zone of the college where 40 more beds can be prepared. Oxygen line can be added to them and a proposal has been sent to the government. The work will start within a short period of time.”

Speaking about the rapid rise in oxygen demand, Bezbaruah said, “In the second wave oxygen consumption has increased manifold so I have proposed construction of another Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) Plant and another Oxygen Generation plant. Already, one plant has been sanctioned. Currently, we get 1.4 MT of oxygen after running the machine for twenty hours while liquid oxygen of 2.4 MT is used every day from cryogenic tankers. So the daily oxygen consumption is about 4-5 MT. The demand will increase and that is why I have proposed the development of another LMO plant that can make us self sufficient. A single patient is now consuming about 10-15 liters of oxygen per minute while some are even requiring mechanical ventilation. Mechanical ventilation uses about 40-50 liters of oxygen per minute.”

Shedding light on late reporting, the principal said, “Patients come to the medical college after their oxygen saturation (SP02) level has already dropped below 80%. We’re not god and we can only try our best to help resuscitate them. People should be more aware and they should come to the hospital when their oxygen saturation level drops below 95%. It gives us time for adequate treatment. At 50-60 percent oxygen level, already organ damage starts creeping in. Brain, kidneys and lungs start getting damaged badly.”

On manpower availability, the Principal said, “We have enough doctors. 83 doctors have joined today after completing their post-graduation exam. The problem is regarding the unavailability of third grade and fourth-grade employees which has hampered the cleanliness of the covid wards and we have also heard about the complaints. We can’t do anything about the problem so we have informed the district administration and the Health Minister today about the crisis. More than 300 third grade and fourth-grade employee posts are vacant.”

Recently, the ICMR removed plasma therapy from its treatment protocol for covid patients. Commenting on the issue Bezbaruah said, “As per ICMR, plasma doesn’t have a role. Moreover, covid patients who got infected and recovered in the last three months in Barak Valley are more than 60 years of age and have comorbid conditions like hypertension and diabetes. So, it is very difficult to collect plasma from them. In the second wave, plasma is not working. Remdesivir, oxygen therapy, antibiotics, and steroids are the current weapons we have against covid.”