Half of Jalandhar’s covid-19 deaths reported from private hospitals

Jalandhar Around half of 381 deaths in the district due to covid-19 to date have been at private hospitals, data with the administration shows. Private hospitals have recorded 182 deaths; 109 deaths (28%) in government hospitals; 19 in military hospitals and 68 during treatment from hospitals outside the district.

Three people died on way to hospital. Twelve patients are on ventilator. Jalandhar is the second-worst district in the state with 381 deaths and 12,742 cases till Monday evening.

The number of deaths at private hospitals has seen a spurt over the past month as previously, most such hospitals referred patients in acritical stage to the civil hospital. In August, however, deputy commissioner Ghanshyam Thori issued an order barring private hospitals from indulging in this practice.

Jalandhar is the only district in the state where the civil hospital has level-3 beds (for critical patients) and the other required equipment to deal with such a situation. Treatment is expensive in private hospitals, while the civil hospital offers it free of cost, yet many prefer to go to private hospitals, said officials.

“The district has reported an average of eight deaths per day for the past week, of which five-six cases are from private hospitals. Patients arrive late to hospitals for treatment, and most of those put on ventilators could not survive,” said an officer.

Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) estate officer Navneet Kaur Bal who has been appointed as a covid patient tracking officer to minimise the fatality rate said they will run a campaign on the lines of the pulse polio drive to motivate people to report to hospital with fever or flu, and get tested for covid-19.