Hospitals in Nagaland face bed shortage due to rising dengue cases

DIMAPUR — The number of dengue cases in Dimapur and Chümoukedima districts has risen to 241, with five new cases reported on Tuesday.

Furthermore, nine dengue cases were detected on September 4, and as the number of cases continues to rise, a significant portion of hospital beds are now occupied by dengue patients, and the demand for blood at the Dimapur Blood Bank has grown to the point of overwhelming the facility.

Dr. Limatula Aier, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of District Hospital Dimapur (Civil Hospital), told Eastern Mirror that the beds in the Civil Hospital are consistently full, but the situation fluctuates as some patients are discharged and new patients are admitted, which is not limited to dengue cases but also applies to other medical conditions.

Aier added that there is a demand for platelets not only from Dimapur but also from other districts and that the blood bank is currently overburdened, with staff working around the clock to manage the situation as effectively as possible.

There have been no reported deaths attributed to dengue as of yet, and they will not label any deaths as dengue-related until a confirmatory ELISA test is performed, which is required to establish a definite link to dengue.

Dr. Clement, the Medical Superintendent of the Christian Institute of Health Sciences and Research (CIHSR), stated that there has been a noticeable increase in the number of reported dengue cases at CIHSR compared to the previous year and that a few patients with severe dengue symptoms have been admitted to the ICU.

Clement mentioned that, currently, three dengue patients are admitted to the ICU.

When asked about the blood shortage, he explained that there is a shortage in the sense that when patients require blood, their relatives typically bring their own donors, and that they are able to manage the required blood somehow, but they do not have an excess supply.

He said that platelets have a shelf life of just five days, and beyond that period, they become ineffective, which makes it challenging to stockpile platelets in the blood bank as they require a specific temperature.

However, Clement mentioned that regular blood can be stored in the blood bank for a period of 30 to 40 days and added that there is a shortage of blood donors.

With blood donation drives often occurring just once a year, he opined that conducting voluntary blood donation drives during times of dengue outbreaks would be highly beneficial.

Clement explained that while the majority of dengue patients with a high fever seek admission, if these patients have no other underlying health issues and their blood counts are within the normal range, they are typically advised to seek treatment at home. 

Stating that this is done because the hospital is consistently operating at full capacity, making it impossible to admit every patient, he said that these patients are advised to undergo regular blood tests, and if their blood count drops to the range of 20,000 to 30,000 cubic millimetres, then admission is usually recommended.

Clement stated that hospital beds, particularly in the ICU, are frequently filled to capacity and that two patients died, but both of these patients had comorbidities.

Lily Kent, the Administrative Officer at Eden Medical Centre, told Eastern Mirror that there are no dengue patients admitted to the ICU as of Tuesday and that there are currently five dengue patients admitted in the hospital.

Concerning bed availability at Eden Hospital, Kent noted that there is a shortage of beds, but they are managing the situation as best as they can.

She also mentioned that, as of now, the admitted dengue patients do not require blood transfusions; however, other private hospitals frequently inquire about the availability of blood from the hospital.

Kent said that 10 to 15 patients come in each day for dengue testing and that Eden Medical Centre is a 100-bed facility that has been fully occupied for several days now and has a total of 12 ICU beds, but there are no dengue patients admitted to the ICU.

According to one of the doctors at Zion Hospital and Research Centre, the hospital has more than 20 dengue patients, but no patients are currently admitted to the ICU.

The doctor also mentioned that due to the increase in dengue patients, a significant portion of the hospital’s beds are currently occupied, and that the need for blood is largely dependent on the availability of donors, with the majority of donations coming from the patients’ relatives, which is done at the Blood Bank of District Hospital Dimapur.

Also read: Financial loss from cybercrime and threats amounts to INR 2600 crore in India