Covid-19 pandemic pushes Indian hospital to brink

BHAGALPUR, INDIA - Guards armed with rifles escort Dr Kumar Gaurav as he makes the rounds at his hospital on the banks of the Ganges River.

In April, as the pandemic struck here in the eastern state of Bihar, the hospital was selected as one of just four Covid-dedicated hospitals for a population of 100 million people - at least in theory. Interviews with dozens of staff, patients and relatives at the hospital paint a picture of conditions that might shock those accustomed to images of hermetically sealed ICUs during the pandemic, with relatives not even allowed to touch their dying loved ones.

Mr Pranav Kumar, the top bureaucrat in Bhagalpur district, also didn't respond to a request for comment.As infections slow in many other countries, India is still reporting more than 50,000 cases per day. The state has a rich history, including the site where the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment beneath the shade of a Bodhi tree.Based on indicators including infant nutrition, its level of development has more in common with sub-Saharan Africa than India's prosperous southern states.

There have been around 87,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state and 465 deaths - relatively small compared to other states. Given the low testing levels in the state, the numbers may be conservative. His petition cites a"complete breakdown of the public health infrastructure in the state of Bihar, including the lack of Covid-19 hospitals, the lack of hospital beds, the insufficient testing, the unsanitary quarantine centres, the lack of enforcement of social distancing measures, the insufficient medical personnel, the failure to provide PPE to front-line workers".

HOSPITAL CHAOS Psychiatrist Kumar's hospital backs onto the Ganges River, the holiest in India and swollen by the summer monsoon. The workers who push the trolleys carrying incoming patients to the general emergency wards don't know the history of the new arrivals, most of whom haven't been tested yet for the virus.

During one meeting about a lack of medicines, Dr Kumar promises them he will convince the government that more resources are needed.He weeps as he describes his worst moment since he took over, when a friend of his father who needs blood transfusions at regular intervals asked for help.

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