Duncan hospital struggles as India battles devastating wave of corona

No one could have failed to have been moved by the awful scenes coming from India as another wave of coronavirus hits the country hard. In footage from New Delhi, repeated all over, bodies burn in endless funeral pyres as the capital chokes with smoke as the living try to tend to their dead. The official daily death toll reported in the press is thought to be wildly underestimated.

Hospitals all over the country have little or no oxygen supplies left and great numbers of staff are falling victim to the virus themselves. Many families are unable to find hospital beds for sick loved ones and are forced to take them home again. The Duncan is sadly not immune from this chaos as it is caught up in the grip of this latest surge. 

Funeral pyres like these in New Delhi burn day and night all over India. Image Exposure Visuals/Shutterstock

In a communication from a few days ago, we hear that Hospital Director Prabhu has covid, though thankfully we were told that he is stable for the moment except for symptoms like myalgia and cough. However staff there have taken a major hit this time, leaving few behind who are not ill to treat the patients they have. 

We were sent these heartbreaking words, “The situation here is really bad. In fact, it seems a thousand times worse than it was last year. Indians are absolutely unprepared to meet the situation. Only a very small percent received vaccines. Not enough hospitals, no beds, no medicines, no oxygen and even no doctors – anywhere. We hear death all around us. It’s scary to open the news.”

“Today we have a 15-year-old boy with epidural abscess leading to acute paraplegia. So he needed urgent spine surgery. No way we can refer him anywhere coz no hospitals will accept him in this crucial time. So Prabhu went and did surgery for three to four hours with all the PPE. Praying and hoping that the child would be able to walk again.”

“Please keep us in your prayers. That’s the best anyone can do for us now”

So please help us keep all at The Duncan in everyone’s thoughts. 

We will bring you any further news as we receive updates. 

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