By Siraj Khan, Nepalgunj, Apr. 23: With more than 300 new COVID-19 cases being detected in Banke on a daily basis, the hospitals of the district have run out of beds.

All the 142 beds of the COVID ward of Bheri Hospital and the 65 beds of the Nepalgunj Medical College are full, forcing more than a dozen infected patients, some in need of intensive care and oxygen, to wait for days to receive treatment.

“Critically ill patients are still coming, but all we can do is watch them helplessly,” Dr. Prakash Thapa, chief of Bheri Hospital, described the situation to The Rising Nepal. “People beg us for beds but all we can do is say none are available.”

“Many will lose their lives waiting outside hospitals if 150 beds and additional manpower cannot be managed immediately,” Thapa said. “The local, provincial and federal governments need to urgently focus on the matter.”

Dr. Asim Kidwai, senior doctor at Nepalgunj Medical College, said that the condition was so bad that people were waiting on the porch of the hospital hoping to get a bed inside. “It is certain that many infected people coming to Banke for treatment will lose their lives if something is not done quickly,” he said.

Many health workers involved in the care of COVID-19 patients that The Rising Nepal talked to are concerned that the situation in the district is fast spiralling out of control.

Tej Oli, COVID-19 focal person for the district, informed that the number of infected people was increasing day by day and emphasised the need for managing beds and oxygen supply in the hospitals.

Dr. Khagendra Jung Shah, a physician at Bheri Hospital, cautioned against considering the disease that same as before. “We are seeing an increasing number of people needing oxygen. The situation is more serious than last time,” he said.

In addition to the cases, the number of deaths has also been increasing, according to the District COVID-19 Crisis Management Centre. Three people are dying on a daily basis in the district because of coronavirus in recent days.

Meanwhile, a seven-day lockdown has been imposed in Banke to break the chain of transmission and keep people safe. The lockdown, which began on Wednesday midnight, has kept people off the streets. The main markets of Nepalgunj wore a deserted look on Friday.

The District Administration Office has mobilised a large number of security personnel to strictly enforce the district-wide closure.