My Message to Dr Devi Shetty on YouTube as a Comment:
Dear Dr. Shetty,
You are the first doctor to talk of "What we need Today to address the woes of Tomorrow wrt to Covid Pandemic". So far, all I have heard from others is chest thumping about our yesterdays short lived success or how well we are coping today. "Today is the Tomorrow we worried About Yesterday". I salute you for thinking ahead Doc and alerting the Govt to what needs to be done immediately on a War Footing.
You have addressed the issues of Oxygen supply and Supply of Medical Doctors Nurses and Paramedics. Very very worthwhile Proposition which needs to be implemented on War Footings.
Now there is one other area that also needs urgent Consideration. ICU Procedures for Covid Patients needs minimum standards. Many families have complained that relatives feel abandoned in ICUs and their Mob phones are taken away and patients cannot even communicate with immediate family members. This causes huge distress and a feeling one is destined to die; a state of hopelessness that accelerates depression and death.
Lastly Doc, you say India has only 75000 ICU beds. THIS TO ME IS A BIGGER CONCERN. Most hospitals at best have 5 to 10 % of the hospital beds for ICU. The need of the Hour is to convert entire hospitals to Covid Hospitals as has been done in many countries, or convert large halls, stadiums and even car parks to ICU hospitals to meet the demand.
Not every one who goes to Hospital with Covid needs to be in ICU and can be treated in any ward as long as their oxygen saturation levels are monitored & maintained. Small Portable Oximeters can do this job easily.
Hats of to a Country like Spain that legislated overnight and the Govt took control of all Private Hospitals & Beds for Covid Patients.
One more important factor is :-
Cost of Hospitalisation.
People are forced to pay tens of lakhs they do not have for patients admitted to ICU. Govt should legislate quickly a standard day rate for a ward or for ICU making Medical treatment within the reach of the poor and needy.
Our current system is all about Money and not Morality. This is where Australia's Medicare system is the best in the world. At the end of the day the King and the Pauper both go into a Wooden Box. You will agree all lives matter.
Indian needs to listen to experts like you, who have dedicated a lifetime to saving people's lives. I am hoping you can put together a team of top doctors in the India, at least one from each State in India, to be the Central Govts advisory committee.
Right now India is like a rudderless boat tossing and turning in a turbulent sea. We needs experts like you to sail this boat safely to the shore. As you said Doc, Covid does not discriminate by Race, Religion, Caste or Creed like humans do and this is a lesson for all humans world wide..
Salute you again for thinking ahead.
God Bless.
Ram Krishnaswamy,
Sydney Australia.
