Kolkata: A sharp spike in elderly patients has left most private hospitals in Kolkata fully occupied since last week. Senior citizens now comprise more than 50% of those admitted in several hospitals that have been forced to arrange extra beds, extend OPD hours and hold online consultations to cater to the extra load of patients. If the flow of patients continues, there could soon be a bed crisis, feared hospitals.
The spread of respiratory diseases and cardiac issues induced by the weather have led to the sudden spurt in admissions, said hospitals. At Manipal Hospitals, half of those admitted across its five units are senior citizens. “We have set up a dedicated admission desk for them. Beds have been set aside for them and their discharge formalities are being hastened. We have also arranged in-room medicine delivery for them,” said Ayanabh Debgupta, Regional COO, Manipal Hospitals (East).
Senior citizens usually make up 35%-40% of admitted patients at BP Poddar Hospital in Dec-Jan but it has shot up to 51% since last week. “We have dedicated 10% of our bed capacity exclusively for senior citizens. However, we are concerned that if the situation continues, a bed crisis may arise since senior citizens often require hospital stays of five to seven days. To manage this growing demand, we are also offering telephonic consultations to senior citizens,” said Supriyo Chakrabarty, Group Advisor of BP Poddar, which now has 95% occupancy.
Charnock Hospital has seen a steady flow of elderly patients since last week, and all its ICUs are fully occupied. “Most have either pulmonary diseases triggered by the temperature drop or brain strokes. Senior citizens are being given OPD appointments on a priority basis, and all elderly patients are being admitted through a faster process once they are triaged. We are using the ‘stroke code’ to hasten the admission of stroke patients,” said Charnock emergency head Nishant Agarwal.
Narayana Health Hospitals, too, have seen a sharp rise in the number of senior citizens visiting its three units in Kolkata and Howrah for OPD consultations and admissions. “Currently, senior citizens account for 35%-40% of total inpatient occupancy and 30%-45% of OPD footfalls. All our units are fully occupied,” said Narayana Health COO R Venkatesh.
Anirban Chattopadhyay, critical care head CMRI Hospital, said 70% of its ICU beds are occupied by elderly patients. “We have set up an admission and critical care management plan to ensure optimum utilisation of beds, or else we could have a shortage,” said Chattopadhyay.
Weather-induced cardiac issues have spiked sharply, leading to a deluge of admissions at BM Birla Heart Hospital. More than 70% of patients admitted since last Wednesday are aged above 60. “Respiratory viruses and the cold weather trigger cardiac issues, including rupture of atherosclerosis plaque leading to heart attacks,” said BM Birla interventional cardiologist Anjan Siotia.
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