Not many aware of bed status portal

Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 25

Though the district administration regularly uploads the status of beds available in various hospitals in the district on its website, many people are still unaware of the same. As a result, they keep searching for beds from one hospital to another.

Unaware of the facility, a woman recently lost her life as the family kept searching for a bed. Amarjeet Singh from the Tibba Road area, nephew of the deceased, took her aunt first to the CMCH and then, the DMCH. However, he had to return as bed was not available at both hospitals. Later, he went to the Civil Hospital and within a couple of hours, his aunt breathed her last.

“I kept moving from one hospital to another for six hours and by the time I got my aunt admitted, her condition got deteriorated and we lost her,” he said.

When asked about online checking of availability of beds in hospitals, he said he was not aware of the website and did not check the status.

Himmat Singh, who had come to Fortis Hospital to get his elder brother admitted after he tested positive, said he had come from Barnala as his brother was not feeling well but he had to return as beds were occupied.

“We always come to Fortis Hospital if anybody in the family is unwell. We don’t know how to check the availability of beds online. I have a basic phone which I use for only making and receiving calls. Had we aware of any such facility, I could have asked youngsters in the family,” he said.

Meanwhile, another family had to return to Malerkotla from Oswal Hospital here as bed was not available.

“We came from Malerkotla to get our father admitted but there was no bed in the hospital. We don’t know where to go now,” the patient’s wife said.

The patient’s family was also not aware of checking the status of beds online.

The administration has been time and again requesting people to check the status of beds online but people, especially from rural areas, are still ignorant due to various reasons. Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma said on August 9, a mobile app, ‘HBMS Punjab’, through which residents could check the real-time status of vacant beds in both private and government hospitals, was launched. He said for the welfare of residents, they could check the status of vacant beds on the official web link https://ludhiana.nic.in/notice/covid-19-bed-status-in-ludhiana-district/” or “www.hbmspunjab.in. He said the list of all private hospitals offering Covid treatment had been added on the app as well as the web links.