COVID-19: Govt to ensure increase of 1,000 beds with oxygen supply in major cities
June 08, 2020
The federal government on Monday announced it was working on increasing the bed capacity for coronavirus patients in major cities across the country.
“We have decided in the NCOC meeting this morning that the federal government will ensure increase of 1,000 beds with oxygen supply capability in the major cities of the country within the month of June,” Federal Minister for Planning and Special Initiatives Asad Umar announced in a tweet.
Hospitals across the country have reported they are running out of beds as the number of cases continue to rise in the country.
NCOC provides 250 additional ventilators to provinces
A day earlier, the National Command and Operation Centre announced it had allocated and issued 250 additional ventilators through the National Disaster Management Authority to overcome challenges in critical care.
According to the data available, out of these, 72 ventilators were issued to Punjab, 52 each to Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 20 to Balochistan and 10 each to Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan and 34 to Islamabad Capital Territory.
The purpose is to enhance capacity and meet requirements of provinces including Azad Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and the Federal Capital.
In Lahore, the number of ventilators available is 793 of which 214 have been allocated for COVID-19. Seventy-seven of these are currently being used by patients with coronavirus.
In Karachi, the number of available ventilators is 461 while 136 have been set aside for coronavirus patients. In Hyderabad, the number of available ventilators is 50, of which 20 are specified for coronavirus patients.
In Quetta, the number of available ventilators is 61, of which 29 are allocated for patients with the virus.
In Gilgit, the number of available ventilators is 26, of which five are allocated for COVID and one is occupied. In Muzaffarabad, the number of available ventilators is 28, of which 18 are allocated for COVID.
In the federal capital, the number of available ventilators is 246, of which 92 are allocated for COVID-19, and 13 are occupied.
Earlier the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services, Dr Zafar Mirza said 75% beds at intensive care units at hospitals are unoccupied and available for COVID-19 patients.
