Karachi hospitals treating Covid-19 patients run out of beds, ventilators

KARACHI: Due to the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the wake of relaxation in the lockdown, Karachi’s public and private hospitals treating Covid-19 patients have run out of beds and ventilators.

The number of new Covid-19 infections has seen an alarming increase in the province after Eid as wards dedicated for coronavirus patients in public and private hospitals in the port city are nearly at full capacity and cannot take in any more patients.

Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Civil Hospital, Indus Hospital, Dow Hospital (Ojha campus), and other medical facilities are facing an influx of Covid-19 patients.

Nineteen beds in an HDU and seventeen beds in an ICU of the JPMC are occupied while twelve ventilators earmarked for Covid-19 patients with serious condition at the Civil Hospital are too occupied.

There is no different situation at the Indus Hospital where neither bed nor ventilator is free. Dow Hospital, Ojha campus also has all its beds and ventilators occupied. All 51 beds and six ventilators earmarked for Covid-19 patients at Ziauddin hospital are occupied.

Officials at the Sindh health department said they saw a spike in the number of infections after Eid holidays.