The data suggest that there is 1 doctor per 11,600 people and 1 hospital bed per 1,826 people in India, a meek number in front of the deadly Covid-19 spread.
New Delhi| According to data collected by the union health ministry till 17th March, there is 1 isolation bed available per 84,000 Indians whereas 1 quarantine bed per 36,000 people.
Collected in light of the coronavirus outbreak, the data suggest that there is 1 doctor per 11,600 people and 1 hospital bed per 1,826 people in India, a meek number in front of the deadly Covid-19 spread.
Health experts suggest that the data might have forced PM Modi to address the citizens to practice social distancing in order to reduce the stress on the Indian healthcare system. The primary target would be to flatten the curve so that the system doesn’t collapse in wake of an unprecedented number of cases.
ICMR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology director Anurag Agarwal informed, “We are in Stage 2 of transmission, and social distancing is very effective at this stage. Stage 3 requires lockdown. Based on surveillance data, ICMR has made it very clear that every case thus far can be explained. What social distancing does at this stage is to flatten the curve to prevent overloading of the health infrastructure… Janata Curfew is good practice for the future. Based on current data, the government seems to be doing the right thing.”
At a meeting held with PM Modi and Chief Ministers & health ministers of the states, ICMR DG Dr. Balram Bhargava said that India is currently in phase two of the coronavirus transmission, having a window to control the spread and reduce the danger of transmission in phase 3. He stressed the importance of judicious usage of health facilities and the necessity to increase the quarantine facilities and isolation wards.
National Health Profile data of 2019 suggests that there are 1,154,686 registered allopathic doctors in the country and 7,39,024 government hospital beds.
With a population of 130 Crore, the healthcare facility is always burdened even during normal times. In this outbreak of coronavirus, it is more difficult to balance the capacity and an incoming number of patients. Although only government facilities are handling covid-19 cases until now. Private facilities are not allowed to treat patients with covid-19.
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