Critical patients have to die untimely even in provincial capital due to ventilator and ICU bed crunch

BUTWAL, Aug 31: A woman has succumbed to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Rupandehi district.

The 68-year-old woman breathed her last while she was being rushed to a hospital on Sunday evening. The woman from Tilottama Municipality-5 was staying isolated at her home after she was diagnosed with this viral infection on August 27.

The deceased patient, who was suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure for long, was being taken to the Bhaiaraha-based Bhim Hospital after her health condition deteriorated on Sunday, said Ishwar Poudel, health coordinator at the municipality, confirming her death.

Though her condition worsened since Sunday afternoon, her relatives could not admit her to the hospital in time as Butwal-based COVID-19 hospital said that it did not have an empty ICU bed.

The woman had undergone the COVID-19 test in the course of contact tracing after a nurse of a private hospital, where she had gone for treatment, was reported to be infected by the virus.

Some patients have died due to the lack of ICU beds and ventilators even in the capital of Province 5 in recent days. Some of those were sent to Chitwan and Kathmandu. A COVID-19 patient, earlier on Sunday, died while undergoing treatment at the fever clinic in Lumbini Provincial Hospital as he could not be shifted to an ICU bed in time.

 
• Butwal
 
• COVID-19
 
• Rupandehi