Despite high CFR, rural areas sans Covid facilities

Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, May 6

Amid the rising case fatality ratio (CFR) in the rural areas, only three countryside subdivisions — Nabha, Samana and Rajpura — have got Covid facilities that cater to rural patients of the district.

Moreover, all three subdivisions have only L2 facility, while no ICU bed is available here to treat critical Covid patients. However, the Health Department blames late reporting for the higher CFR in the rural areas.It has been learnt that there is neither government nor private facility in the rural areas to treat Covid patients.

“As a result, patients from the rural areas reach hospitals late for treatment. Make-shift Covid facilities should be created in the rural areas,” said experts. Meanwhile, sources in the Health Department said majority of the staff was already engaged in Covid-related duties. Therefore, running L2 facilities more than the existing ones was not possible, the department added.

When asked about setting up Covid facilities in the rural areas, the Patiala Civil Surgeon, Dr Satinder Singh, said they had approved a private facility in the Patran division. “We are planning to give permission to more private hospitals in subdivisions to treat patients in the rural areas,” he added.