Ahmedabad/Vadodara: Ahmedabad added about 2,000 hospital beds after the Covid-19 pandemic, driven mainly by growth in superspeciality and mid-segment hospitals, doctors and industry representatives said ahead of World Health Day on April 7. Covid-19, which started in the state from March 2020, pushed both the state govt and the private sector to add hundreds of beds with oxygen and intensive care facilities to meet rising demand. According to estimates, govt and private sector hospitals had about 10,000 beds at the start of the pandemic. “Today we have about 2,200 hospitals and nursing homes in the city according to estimates of which 1,200 are our members. Cumulative number of beds in private sector alone is about 10,000-12,000. Compared to pre-Covid period, we have seen a 20-25% rise, putting the number around 2,000,” said Dr Bharat Gadhavi, president of Ahmedabad Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (AHNA) and regional director of HCG Hospitals Gujarat and Rajasthan. As April 7 is celebrated as World Health Day, Dr Gadhavi pointed at growth in the healthcare sector. He said the rise was seen in two categories: specialisation hospitals such as cardiac issues, urology or cancer, and mid-segment hospitals having 50 to 100 beds.“Soon after the pandemic, several hospitals had cropped up and some had increased bed capacity, but it stabilized in 2022 onwards. The major takeaway was establishing ICU and oxygen beds, which roughly constitutes 15% of new beds,” he said.“Soon after the pandemic, several hospitals had cropped up and some had increased bed capacity, but it stabilized in 2022 onwards. The major takeaway was establishing ICU and oxygen beds, which roughly constitutes 15% of new beds,” he said. In the govt sector, a major push was seen at MediCity at the Civil Hospital campus. A 1,200-bed hospital was made functional soon after the pandemic for general purposes, and three institutions, UNMICRC, IKDRC, and GCRI, added at least 300 more beds at the same or new premises. The current expansion will see the establishment of 1,800 beds for Civil Hospital, officials said. Dr Maulik Sheth, director of Silver Touch Hospital and secretary of Ahmedabad Medical Association (AMA), said the post-Covid period was marked by two phenomena. “The first is the expansion of PMJAY and MAA like government schemes which are now covering many more hospitals compared to pre-Covid period. The government or private health insurance became a game changer with people approaching mid-segment hospitals for hospitalizations. Second factor is rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) for which a city the size of Ahmedabad requires matching infrastructure, especially in light of the big-ticket events such as upcoming Commonwealth Games,” he said. He added that he added and acquired a total 160 beds in two facilities post Covid. Dr Keyur Patel, a city-based neurologist and MD of HealthOne Hospital, said Covid underlined the importance of mid-segment hospitals. “Post-Covid, we have operationalized 250-plus beds in multiple hospitals. I believe doctor-operated hospitals which are adopting asset-light models are the way forward – these hospitals are performing robotic surgeries and organ transplants at affordable rates. It is not just viable, it will form the backbone of the health delivery system,” he said. The city is set to see a major boost in the next five years, with Adani Group and Torrent Group making a foray. In Vadodara, an addition of 4,775 beds was recorded post Covid-19 pandemic. “In 2019, there were 2,649 hospitals in Vadodara with a total 16,725 bed capacity. Now, there are 3,200 hospitals including single-bedded hospitals which combinedly have 21,500 bed capacity,” said Dr Mitesh Shah, president of Indian Medical Association (IMA), Vadodara and national secretary of IMA’s medical student network (headquarters).
