All Covid ICU beds full, says PGI on Capt’s request for reserving beds for patients from Punjab

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 7

The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) on Wednesday issued a clarification on the statement issued by Punjab Health Department citing that the health institute was refusing to admit patients from Punjab, despite being referred through proper channels.

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh stated that he would take up the matter with the prime minister at video conferencing meeting and would request him to direct PGIMER to reserve at least 50 ICU beds for patients referred by the state government.  

The institute has clarified that PGIMER admits only severe and critically ill Covid patients in the NHE Covid Block and presently 50 per cent of the total 166 patients admitted at PGIMER, which constitute 83 patients, belong to Punjab. 

All the ICU beds in the Covid Block are full and 50 per cent of these are occupied by patients from Punjab. 

PGIMER on the influx of patients from Punjab, stated that patients arriving at any of the emergency wards of the hospital, are attended to and provided medical care irrespective of their state of domicile. 

“In fact, the annual census of PGIMER for the year 2020 clearly shows that PGIMER provides tertiary level medical care for more than five states of India with a proportion of Punjab being highest,” the statement reads.