HYDERABAD: The district administration and Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS) management decided to reopen other spaces for keeping stable and asymptomatic coronavirus patients after nine coronavirus patients died since Friday at the Liaquat University Hospital (LUH) — seven of them in a single day (Saturday).

According to doctors, there is fear even among asymptomatic or otherwise stable patients and they don’t leave hospital after having been diagnosed for the coronavirus with the result that bed occupancy increases and critical patients’ care becomes difficult.

The authorities are going to keep ready the Kohsar Latifabad Hospital which had been working as health facility for Covid-19 patients during first wave of the contagion. The LHU Jamshoro branch has also been opened for keeping patients whose number at its City branch is increasing.

It is learnt that the Hospital Management Board (HMB) — formed under Sindh Teaching Hospital (Establishment of Management Board) Act, 2020 and notified on Nov 30 — is going to hold its first meeting soon. It is headed by LUMHS Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Bikha Ram.

“Yes we have shortage of nurses but we are trying to tackle the situation. No death is caused due to lack of care or inattention, that I can assure you,” said the VC. He added that the board would soon hold its meeting. “We are compiling data of recent deaths to determine cause of death and their co-morbidities”.

Seven deaths were reported at the LUH between 4am and 5pm on Saturday, according to the hospital’s focal person for coronavirus, Dr Aftab Hussain Phul. He said they were critically ill patients admitted in high dependence unit (HDU) and intensive care unit (ICU) of Covid-19.

The deceased included a 40-year-old woman resident of Jamshoro, 55-year-old female resident of Latifabad, 74-year-old resident of Umerkot, 65-year-old female resident of Hyderabad, 49-year-old male resident of Latifabad, 85-year-old resident of Latifabad and a 60-year-old woman. Two patients — a 67-year-old female resident of Matiari and 35-year-old female resident of Kotri — breathed their last on Friday.

Hyderabad has been reporting positivity ratio on a higher side for the last few days as per laboratory test reports. According to Hyderabad DC Fuad Ghaffar Soomro, WHO’s figures of Dec 4 showed that Hyderabad had 12.4pc positivity ratio and the city was fourth with the highest ratio after Karachi, Mirpur (AJK) and Peshawar in the country.

Figures compiled by district health office (DHO) Hyderabad till Dec 4 show that 81 new cases were reported while total active coronavirus cases in the district are 1,409. His report says that 1,371 patients are currently in home isolation. The positivity ratio on Friday, according to the DHO, was recorded at 11pc.

“There is fear among patients. Even normal, stable or asymptomatic patients don’t leave hospital despite medical advice. The bed occupancy increases since they don’t leave bed and often critically ill patients’ management becomes difficult,” confided a hospital source. He said that district administration was requested to reopen its Kohsar Latifabad Hospital facility for Covid-19 patients so that stable patients could be kept there to offload burden of patients at the LUH.

DC Soomro said he had requested the LUMHS VC to determine causes of death of each patient and their co-morbidities. “We have opened Kohsar hospital facility for keeping stable patients there. We had closed it after pressure of positive patients had lessened after first wave of coronavirus in the city,” he said, and added, “we will also be shifting undertrial prisoners (UTPs) to Kohsar hospital and are also urging people to volunteer for tests,” he said.

Dr Bikha Ram was of the view that now the ratio of critical patients had increased considerably in this second wave of coronavirus. He said consultants, doctors and nurses were working there to take care of patients.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2020