Guj faces twin crisis of battling cyclone amidst Covid-19 surge

Guj faces twin crisis of battling cyclone amidst Covid-19 surge

Critically Ill Patients Moved Out; O2 Stock, DG Sets Ramped Up

Team TOI

17.05.2021 

Ahmedabad/Rajkot/Surat:

The very severe cyclonic storm Tauktae could not have come at a worse time for Gujarat.

Just as the state battles with the second wave of deadly Covid-19, the cyclone threatens to compound the woes of critically ill patients and overwhelmed hospitals.

To prevent a doublewhammy for Covid-19 patients remained on top of state administration's mind. By Sunday evening, 34 critical Covid patients of Porbandar and Gir Somnath districts were shifted to Junagadh Civil Hospital as a precautionary measure.

Some 46 patients of a Kutch hospital located close to the sea shore were shifted to Bhuj Samaras hospital.

“On one hand, there are Covid-19 patients in hospitals. On the other hand, there is the cyclone and its effects. We are working to ensure there is zero casualty,” Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani briefed on Sunday. P 2, 3 & 4

Base hospitals designated

Seven hospitals in Saurashtra region have been designated as base hospitals where the patients from districts such as Bhavnagar, Amreli, Botad, Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Kutch, etc. would be shifted at the time of contingency.

Diesel generators are being installed or shifted to major hospitals to ensure that life support systems and communication systems are not interrupted in case of power outage.

Several hospitals close to the coastal region also went for ‘wind proofing’ by blocking the doors and windows with wooden logs.

State energy minister Saurabh Patel held a meeting of the preparations of PGVCL and Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation (Getco) in Rajkot on Sunday.

In Surat, 40% of the 1200-odd ventilators are occupied. “Most of the hospitals have their own generators and power supply back up and patients on ventilators are in the big hospitals including SMC-run SMIMER hospital,” Ashish Naik, deputy municipal commissioner (Health), SMC, told TOI.

Dr Bharat Gadhvi, president of private hospitals in Ahmedabad, said that they have stocked adequate oxygen supply and have asked all member hospitals to ensure checking generators for critical equipment.