With mounting cases of COVID-19, hospitals in Banke are now operating in full capacity. Bheri Hospital, which has been designated to treat the pandemic patients has now been overwhelmed. There aren’t enough beds to accommodate patients, as a result of which Nepalgunj Medical College has stepped up to lift some of the hospital’s strain. The medical college, which is also a teaching hospital, has started a COVID-19 Ward with 45 beds.
“The situation has started getting worse again. Bheri Hospital can’t shoulder this crisis on its own, which is why the District COVID-19 Crisis Management Centre has decided to revive the COVID-19 Ward with ICU operated by the Nepalgunj Medical College and Teaching Hospital,” explained the college Assistant Director Dr. Nitesh Kumar Kanodiya.
The Medical College is currently offering 15 ICUs and 30-bed isolation units at Kohalpur.
In the first wave, the hospital had intensified its services to cater infected people coming from Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpaschim. However, with decline in the number of cases, several designated COVID-19 hospitals, including Bheri Hospital, had become complacent enough to discontinue their isolation centres and COVID-19 Wards.
Three succumb to virus in one night
Three COVID-19-infected persons, who were undergoing treatment at the Bheri Hospital, succumbed to the virus Saturday night.
Three deaths in three hours in a single night shocked many others who were receiving treatment of COVID-19 or those who were looking after the patients in the Corona Ward of Bheri Hospital, said a youth.
“After one male and two females receiving treatment in the hospital died Saturday night, I heard only crying throughout the night,” said the youth.
According to COVID-19 focal person Tej Oli, 73-year-old male of Bardiya died at 7pm on Saturday and 40 minutes after that 78-year-old woman of Baijanath Rural Municipality of Banke died. The third was a 68-year-old woman of Dailekh who also breathed last at 9:30 pm the same night.
On Friday, a 36-year-old female resident of Narainapur, Ghorahi Sub-Metropolitan Ward No. 11 had succumbed to the virus in the same hospital.
Source : THE RISING NEPAL,
