Highlights
- Most patients are getting cured with little medical help: Doctor
- Nalanda Medical College Hospital is Bihar’s first dedicated COVID facility
- Reports have surfaced of dead bodies lying alongside patients in Nalanda
Patna: Bodies lying wrapped in linen alongside petrified COVID-19 stricken patients, discarded PPEs (Personal Protective Equipments) in open dustbins making them a veritable storehouse of the deadly coronavirus, and harried attendants rushing from one counter to the other for a slip that would secure their loved ones, gasping for breath, another chance at life. This is Nalanda Medical College Hospital (NMCH), a designated COVID-19 facility in Patna, emblematic of the frayed health care system, puffing and panting, as it grapples with the pandemic.
Also Read: Bihar Government Directs Medical Colleges To Arrange 100 Beds For COVID-19 Patients
The hospital has repeatedly hit the headlines over bodies lying in COVID isolation wards and ICUs alongside the beds occupied by patients who are alive and hoping to beat the disease which had claimed 249 lives and afflicted nearly 40,000 people till Sunday.
Established in 1970, NMCH was declared as the first dedicated COVID 19 facility of the state way back in March, when the disease was in a nascent stage. The announcement by health minister Mangal Pandey had earned the Nitish Kumar government plaudits for its “proactive” approach to the global pandemic. Last week, at least two videos, shot purportedly by horrified surviving patients or their attendants, of the bodies lying for hours on end on adjacent beds evoked outrage on the social media.
Mr. Pandey, who inspected the hospital on Thursday last, claimed the videos are misleading. A protocol ought to be followed for disposal of bodies of COVID 19 patients. This takes a bit of time. Nowadays everybody carries a mobile phone. It is so easy to shoot a video, barely a couple of minutes long, and post it on social media with the claim that a dead body visible in the background has been lying there for hours, or maybe even days, he remarked testily.
However, Vinod Kumar Singh, the newly appointed medical superintendent of the hospital admitted there were “some lapses” in shifting the bodies from isolation wards and ICUs immediately after the death of a patient. NMCH principal Hiralal Mahto, however, said since the mortuary is close to the medical college, which is at some distance from the hospital’s COVID ward, there is an unavoidable time gap between a death and the removal of the body from the ward. Rubbishing the claims made in such videos of bodies remaining inside the wards for hours, Mr. Mahto added cremation of the deceased COVID 19 patients was permitted only at the Baans Ghat crematorium and that too late in the evening.
If a death takes place early in the morning, we cannot help but keep the bodies inside the hospital for sometime, though the sight may be repelling, said Mr. Mahto. A national TV channel, whose reporter visited the Baans Ghat electric crematorium, showed a board hanging outside that read the ‘Machine is not running’ in Hindi. Metres away, pyres were being lit while a conservancy worker was seen collecting body-bags from the banks of the Ganga, with a litter of pigs loitering around.
Also Read: COVID-19 Testing Facility In All Districts Of Bihar By June 15: Health Minister Mangal Pandey
This is horrible, unforgivable neglect. The man carrying the body-bags with bare hands without wearing a PPE suit can alone infect hundreds of people, said Yashodanand Kumar, a medical representative, who lives close by.
The subpar upkeep at the COVID-19 ward is understood to have also met with disapproval from a three-member central team which toured the state a week ago and visited the NMCH. The hospital superintendent was replaced a couple of days later and opposition parties alleged that he was axed because he spilled the beans on lack of adequate manpower and protective equipment for frontline health workers.
The ruling dispensation, however, repudiated the charge and claimed that the administrative reshuffle followed dissatisfaction with the incumbents handling of affairs at the NMCH. The government insists that the citys health infrastructure is capable of facing challenges of any magnitude with government hospitals like the Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH), the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) both run by the state besides the AIIMS, Patna. Moreover, over a dozen private hospitals and nursing homes in the city have been permitted to admit, test and treat COVID 19 cases. A leading private medical practitioner whose son, also a doctor, tested positive for the disease said,
All these hospitals are crowded. Everyone, even those with mild symptoms, wants to get hospitalised when there is no need.
The family is in home isolation. He said over 50 city doctors were admitted to AIIMS, Patna, after being infected with the virus, and several other frontline workers have died because of heavy viral load.
Also Read: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Asks People To Stay Away From COVID-19 Related Rumours
The state government should create a facility like the one at Radha Soami Satsang Beas in Delhi. Infected asymptomatic patients or those with mild symptoms should be sent there where a team of doctors should examine and treat them.
If the doctors are of the opinion that the patient needs hospitalisation, only then they should be sent to COVID hospitals. This will check unnecessary overcrowding of hospitals, the doctor, who did not wish to be named, said.
Most patients, he said, got cured on their own with little medical assistance and only a minuscule percentage needed oxygen or ventilator support. There have been complaints that private hospitals are turning away COVID 19 patients and referring them to government hospitals.
The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC)recently wrote to the state government complaining about private hospitals associated with the health insurance provider for its employees refusing to treat them, after they tested positive for the disease, and referring them to state-run COVID hospitals against their wish. A retired railway official, who was rushed to the NMCH by his family members after doctors at a railway hospital and the IGIMS allegedly declined to attend to him, died last week within minutes of being put on oxygen. They claimed he died after spending several breathless hours waiting for treatment while his family was busy completing the paperwork. The tragedy had struck, ironically, on the day the health minister inspected the hospital.
Also Read: How Did India Fight An Earlier Pandemic The Swine Flu Outbreak In 2015?
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.
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State & District Details
State | Cases | Active | Recovered | Deaths |
---|---|---|---|---|
DistrictCases Mumbai45,478 Thane13,660 Pune9,920 Mumbai Suburban5,363 Aurangabad1,974 Nashik1,575 Raigad1,462 Palghar1,421 Solapur1,291 Jalgaon1,039 Akola757 Nagpur692 Kolhapur646 Satara629 Ratnagiri350 Amravati291 Dhule228 Hingoli208 Jalna201 Ahmednagar190 Nanded176 Yavatmal150 Sangli145 Latur139 Osmanabad125 Sindhudurg114 Buldhana88 Parbhani78 gondia69 Beed54 Nandurbar42 Gadchiroli42 Bhandara41 Chandrapur32 Washim13 Wardha11 | 21,21,119 8,807 | 60,559 5,955 | 20,08,623 2,772 | 51,937 80 |
DistrictCases Kannur357 Kasaragod333 Palakkad224 Malappuram119 Kollam118 Thrissur106 Thiruvananthapuram104 Pathanamthitta98 Kozhikode90 Alappuzha76 Kottayam73 Ernakulam60 Idukki40 Wayanad36 | 10,45,009 4,106 | 53,153 1,796 | 9,87,720 5,885 | 4,136 17 |
DistrictCases Udupi1,176 Kalaburagi669 Yadgir538 Bengaluru Urban529 Raichur369 Mandya346 Belagavi337 Bidar219 Hassan205 Davangere204 Vijayapura201 Dakshina Kannada179 Chikkaballapura149 Mysuru107 Bagalkote103 Uttara Kannada95 Shivamogga67 Dharwad61 Ballari60 Gadag45 Bengaluru Rural40 Tumakuru36 Kolar29 Haveri24 Chikkamagaluru19 Chitradurga14 Koppal5 Kodagu4 Ramanagara3 Chamarajanagara0 | 9,49,183 334 | 6,096 15 | 9,30,778 313 | 12,309 6 |
DistrictCases Kurnool795 Krishna557 Guntur511 Anantapur428 East Godavari356 Chittoor319 Sri Potti Sriramulu Nell*296 Y.S.R.205 West Godavari199 Srikakulam183 Prakasam104 Visakhapatnam103 Vizianagaram23 | 8,89,503 94 | 603 28 | 8,81,732 66 | 7,168 |
DistrictCases Chennai23,324 Chengalpattu1,314 Thiruvallur774 Villupuram509 Kanchipuram503 Tiruvannamalai496 Cuddalore477 Ariyalur444 Tirunelveli433 Tuticorin333 Kallakurichi324 Madurai322 Salem258 Coimbatore188 Virudhunagar185 Dindigul175 Perambalur133 Ranipet133 Thanjavur130 Theni129 Tiruchirappalli119 Ramanathapuram119 Tiruppur116 Kanniyakumari110 Tenkasi103 Nagapattinam99 Karur88 Namakkal83 Erode75 Vellore71 Thiruvarur67 Pudukkottai53 Sivaganga46 Tirupathur45 Krishnagiri43 The Nilgiris17 Dharmapuri15 | 8,49,629 463 | 4,062 12 | 8,33,089 469 | 12,478 6 |
DistrictCases North West5,463 Central4,817 West4,768 New Delhi3,405 North3,059 East2,472 South East2,446 South West2,391 South2,329 North East1,914 Shahdara1,580 | 6,38,373 200 | 1,137 128 | 6,26,331 70 | 10,905 2 |
DistrictCases Gautam Buddha Nagar1,119 Agra933 Ghaziabad794 Meerut504 Lucknow386 Saharanpur298 Kanpur Nagar286 Moradabad252 Varanasi243 Hapur225 Aligarh215 Basti214 Amethi206 Rampur203 Jaunpur194 Firozabad190 Barabanki168 Gorakhpur166 Bulandshahr166 Siddharth Nagar159 Ghazipur159 Bijnor157 Deoria143 Azamgarh138 Sant Kabeer Nagar132 Mathura129 Ayodhya120 Muzaffarnagar117 Sambhal116 Sultanpur97 Ambedkar Nagar92 Maharajganj85 Amroha80 Rae Bareli78 Bahraich73 Kheri72 Kannauj69 Baghpat68 Kushi Nagar67 Bhadohi60 Ballia60 Gonda59 Etah52 Hardoi49 Balrampur49 Mau48 Mainpuri46 Etawah46 Hathras43 Unnao42 Jalaun41 Jhansi41 Shamli40 Chandauli38 Auraiya37 Farrukhabad36 Sitapur32 Prayagraj30 Banda27 Shahjahanpur25 Shravasti23 Budaun23 Mirzapur22 Bareilly17 Kasganj16 Pratapgarh15 Pilibhit15 Sonbhadra10 Kaushambi6 Kanpur Dehat4 Chitrakoot4 Lalitpur3 Hamirpur3 Mahoba3 Fatehpur3 | 6,03,103 128 | 2,190 78 | 5,92,192 203 | 8,721 3 |
DistrictCases Kolkata2,777 Howrah1,435 24 Paraganas North1,031 Hooghly604 24 Paraganas South281 Maldah235 Dinajpur Uttar216 Coochbehar210 Birbhum206 Medinipur West159 Medinipur East153 Nadia139 Purba Bardhaman130 Murshidabad125 Bankura116 Darjeeling97 Jalpaiguri88 Paschim Bardhaman70 Purulia66 Dinajpur Dakshin50 Alipurduar39 Kalimpong18 Jhargram9 | 5,74,301 202 | 3,377 22 | 5,60,668 221 | 10,256 3 |
DistrictCases Ganjam581 Jajapur322 Khordha238 Baleshwar190 Kendrapara164 Cuttack155 Bhadrak137 Balangir129 Puri103 Sundargarh102 Jagatsinghapur91 Nayagarh86 Mayurbhanj73 Nuapada69 Gajapati61 Dhenkanal36 Boudh34 Kendujhar34 Deogarh33 Kalahandi33 Sonepur29 Kandhamal28 Anugul26 Malkangiri20 Bargarh16 Koraput16 Sambalpur16 Jharsuguda8 Nabarangpur2 Rayagada2 | 3,36,835 68 | 588 22 | 3,34,333 90 | 1,914 |
DistrictCases Jaipur2,177 Jodhpur1,748 Udaipur724 Bharatpur563 Kota503 Nagaur500 Ajmer379 Dungarpur374 Pali352 Jhalawar329 Bhilwara250 Sikar231 Chittorgarh188 Tonk171 Jalore164 Rajsamand140 Sirohi130 Bikaner112 Banswara91 Alwar90 Churu81 Jhunjhunu64 Dausa61 Dholpur60 Baran59 Jaisalmer53 Barmer34 Hanumangarh31 SawaiMadhopur26 Karauli17 Pratapgarh14 Ganganagar8 Bundi5 | 3,19,801 99 | 1,204 9 | 3,15,812 90 | 2,785 |
DistrictCases Bilaspur100 Korba100 Mungeli87 Baloda Bazar85 Jashpur77 Janjgir-Champa56 Mahasamund54 Rajnandgaon52 Kabirdham52 Raigarh47 Raipur46 Balod41 Korea39 Durg31 Bemetara21 Kanker19 Balrampur17 Surguja14 Gariyaband10 Surajpur9 Dhamtari6 Bijapur2 Bastar2 Dantewada0 Kondagaon0 Narayanpur0 Sukma0 | 3,11,680 247 | 2,911 66 | 3,04,956 309 | 3,813 4 |
DistrictCases Hyderabad2,475 Ranga Reddy183 Suryapet87 Jagitial77 Nizamabad76 MedchalMalkajgiri75 Mancherial43 YadadriBhuvanagiri40 Jogulamba Gadwal40 Vikarabad40 Nalgonda33 Warangal Urban32 Mahabubnagar30 Sangareddy26 Khammam26 Adilabad22 Nirmal21 Karimnagar17 RajannaSircilla16 Medak11 Kamareddy11 Mahabubabad10 Jayashankar Bhupalapally9 Nagarkurnool8 Kumuram Bheem Asifabad8 Jangoan8 Siddipet7 Peddapalli5 Bhadradri Kothagudem5 Warangal Rural4 Mulugu3 Narayanpet3 Wanaparthy1 | 2,98,264 207 | 1,852 107 | 2,94,782 99 | 1,630 1 |
DistrictCases Gurugram2,950 Faridabad867 Sonipat404 Rohtak145 Palwal120 Jhajjar114 Karnal104 Hisar98 Ambala93 Panipat78 Nuh68 Bhiwani60 Rewari56 Kurukshetra55 Sirsa50 Kaithal48 Mahendragarh47 CharkiDadri43 Panchkula39 Fatehabad38 Jind38 Yamunanagar19 | 2,70,097 130 | 955 47 | 2,66,099 82 | 3,043 1 |
DistrictCases Ahmadabad17,125 Surat2,311 Vadodara1,555 Gandhinagar410 Mahesana159 Banas Kantha147 Bhavnagar146 Rajkot135 Arvalli134 Mahisagar125 Anand107 PanchMahals107 Patan105 SabarKantha101 Kachchh99 Kheda98 Jamnagar63 Bharuch56 Botad55 Surendranagar55 Valsad47 GirSomnath45 Dohad43 Chhotaudepur37 Naysari35 Junagadh31 Narmada25 DevbhumiDwarka22 Amreli16 Porbandar11 Tapi6 Dang5 Morbi4 | 2,68,147 380 | 1,869 83 | 2,61,871 296 | 4,407 1 |
DistrictCases Patna279 Bhagalpur266 Rohtas256 Khagaria253 Begusarai243 Madhubani199 Munger188 Jehanabad178 Katihar175 Darbhanga143 Samastipur139 Siwan139 PurbiChamparan138 Purnia135 Banka134 Buxar134 Nalanda123 Gopalganj123 Nawada122 Sheikhpura118 Gaya115 Kaimur (bhabua)105 Bhojpur103 Saran101 Muzaffarpur96 Saharsa88 Supaul87 Vaishali87 Madhepura82 Kishanganj75 Aurangabad75 Sitamarhi73 Lakhisarai72 Araria68 Pashchim Champaran57 Arwal52 Jamui47 Sheohar20 | 2,62,357 54 | 509 39 | 2,60,310 92 | 1,538 1 |
DistrictCases Indore3,839 Bhopal1,880 Ujjain799 Burhanpur351 Neemuch319 Jabalpur276 East Nimar266 Sagar228 Gwalior211 Khargone196 Dewas140 Dhar132 Mandsaur112 Morena109 Bhind87 Raisen71 Barwani60 Ratlam51 Rewa39 Shajapur39 Hoshangabad37 Vidisha37 Chhatarpur35 Betul35 Rajgarh31 Dindori29 Sheopur26 Damoh26 Satna24 Anuppur22 Panna20 Tikamgarh18 Sidhi17 Narsinghpur17 Chhindwara16 Agar Malwa15 Mandla15 Shivpuri15 Jhabua14 Shandol14 Singrauli13 Ashoknagar13 Datia12 Sehore12 Umaria10 Balaghat9 Guna8 Harda4 Alirajpur3 Katni3 Seoni2 Niwari0 | 2,60,313 344 | 2,270 119 | 2,54,186 223 | 3,857 2 |
DistrictCases Kamrup Metro276 Golaghat203 Nagaon143 Hojai89 Dima Hasao86 Karimganj85 Tinsukia84 Cachar80 Dibrugarh61 Hailakandi57 Lakhimpur57 Marigaon50 Dhemaji47 Kamrup42 Kokrajhar37 Dhubri30 Charaideo29 Barpeta28 Udalguri28 Sonitpur27 Jorhat24 Nalbari23 Darrang20 Sivasagar20 Goalpara19 Biswanath16 Baksa14 KarbiAnglong13 Bongaigaon12 Chirang6 West KarbiAnglong5 South SalmaraMancachar4 Majuli2 | 2,17,454 27 | 1,606 2 | 2,14,757 25 | 1,091 |
DistrictCases Amritsar485 Jalandhar297 Ludhiana293 Tarn Taran163 Gurdaspur154 Hoshiarpur140 S.A.S Nagar137 Patiala132 Sangrur107 Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr)99 Pathankot86 Rupnagar (Ropar)74 Faridkot74 Sri Muktsar Sahib71 Moga65 Bathinda60 Fatehgarh Sahib57 Fazilka53 Firozepur50 Kapurthala44 Mansa31 Barnala25 | 1,79,819 558 | 3,598 303 | 1,70,435 248 | 5,786 7 |
DistrictCases Anantnag395 Srinagar300 Kulgam295 Baramulla271 Shopian255 Kupwara231 Bandipora175 Udhampur155 Ramban151 Jammu138 Budgam110 Pulwama108 Kathua53 Rajouri39 Ganderbal37 Poonch35 Doda27 Reasi26 Samba25 Kishtwar10 Mirpur0 Muzaffarabad0 | 1,26,093 74 | 771 5 | 1,23,367 69 | 1,955 |
DistrictCases East Singhbum170 Ranchi148 Hazaribagh110 Garhwa80 Ramgarh75 Koderma58 Simdega48 Dhanbad32 Gumla28 Palamu27 West Singhbhum21 SaraikelaKharsawan20 Giridih19 Bokaro16 Latehar14 Khunti10 Lohardaga8 Deoghar5 Dumka5 Pakur4 Jamtara2 Godda2 Chatra1 Sahebganj0 | 1,19,719 32 | 431 16 | 1,18,201 47 | 1,087 1 |
DistrictCases Dehradun370 Nainital323 Tehri Garhwal110 Haridwar94 Udam Singh Nagar83 Almora71 Champawat45 Pithoragarh43 Chamoli36 PauriGarhwal36 Bageshwar31 Rudraprayag30 Uttar Kashi24 | 97,031 | 491 0 | 94,850 | 1,690 |
DistrictCases Hamirpur117 Kangra105 Una41 Solan32 Chamba29 Bilaspur21 Mandi21 Sirmaur11 Shimla10 Kullu4 Kinnaur2 Lahaul And Spiti0 | 58,457 34 | 229 11 | 57,233 23 | 995 |
DistrictCases South Goa69 North Goa57 | 54,700 52 | 495 16 | 53,416 35 | 789 1 |
DistrictCases Pondicherry111 Mahe4 Karaikal2 Yanam0 | 39,656 28 | 189 10 | 38,801 17 | 666 1 |
DistrictCases Dhalai196 Sepahijala174 Gomati74 South Tripura53 Unakoti49 West Tripura45 Khowai24 North Tripura14 | 33,400 | 25 22 | 32,984 22 | 391 |
DistrictCases Churachandpur32 Kangpokpi26 Imphal West21 Thoubal18 Imphal East10 Tengnoupal9 Bishnupur7 Senapati6 Chandel5 Kamjong5 Ukhrul4 Jiribam3 Pherzawl3 Kakching2 Tamenglong2 Noney1 | 29,250 7 | 41 5 | 28,836 2 | 373 |
DistrictCases Chandigarh313 | 21,541 41 | 250 23 | 20,940 17 | 351 1 |
DistrictCases Changlang31 Papum Pare8 Lohit3 Namsai2 West Siang1 East Siang1 Upper Siang1 Tawang1 PakkeKessang1 West Kameng0 Upper Subansiri0 Tirap0 Siang0 Shi Yomi0 Anjaw0 Lower Subansiri0 Lower Dibang Valley0 Longding0 Leparada0 KurungKumey0 KraDaadi0 Kamle0 East Kameng0 Dibang Valley0 Lower Siang0 | 16,836 | 4 0 | 16,776 | 56 |
DistrictCases East Khasi Hills22 West Garo Hills5 South West Garo Hills4 North Garo Hills1 West Jaintia Hills1 West Khasi Hills1 East Garo Hills0 East Jaintia Hills0 Ribhoi0 South Garo Hills0 South West Khasi Hills0 | 13,958 3 | 18 2 | 13,792 5 | 148 |
DistrictCases Dimapur20 Mon8 Kohima7 Kiphire3 Tuensang3 Peren2 Phek1 Longleng0 Mokokchung0 Wokha0 Zunheboto0 | 12,192 | 8 4 | 12,093 4 | 91 |
DistrictCases Kargil77 LehLadakh43 | 9,807 11 | 53 8 | 9,624 3 | 130 |
DistrictCases East District3 South District3 North District0 West District0 | 6,132 | 47 0 | 5,950 | 135 |
DistrictCases South Andamans33 Nicobars1 North And Middle Andaman1 | 5,016 | 4 1 | 4,950 1 | 62 |
DistrictCases Kolasib11 Aizawl10 Mamit8 Lawngtlai2 Lunglei2 Saitual1 Champhai0 Hnahthial0 Khawzawl0 Saiha0 Serchhip0 | 4,413 | 23 1 | 4,380 1 | 10 |
DistrictCases Dadra And Nagar Haveli20 | 3,404 2 | 4 2 | 3,398 | 2 |
DistrictCases Lakshadweep District0 | 322 6 | 86 6 | 236 | 0 |