The Gujarat government has roped in private intensive care specialists to advise doctors of the Ahmedabad civil hospital on how to control the high COVID-19 death rate in the city.

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Ahmedabad has so far reported 4,076 coronavirus cases and 234 deaths. The city's COVID-19 death rate stands at 5.8 percent as on May 5, against the national average of around 3.2 percent.

The idea to rope in specialists to bring down the death rate was mooted by the Chief Minister, the state principal secretary (health) said. "We have decided to rope in private critical care specialists, who have agreed to give their special service in the wake of the pandemic. On may 4, we had a meeting of our Ahmedabad civil hospital team with some of these specialists," she said.

They will guide the civil hospital doctors about critical COVID-19 patients on a case-to-case basis, she said, expressing hope that the move would help save lives. On May 4, Ahmedabad reported 26 COVID-19 deaths. Out of the total 319 deaths in Gujarat so far, Ahmedabad has reported 234, or 73.3 percent of total deaths in the state.

Earlier, some health experts in the state had attributed the high death rate to the 'L strain' or 'Wuhan strain' of the coronavirus. However, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) later clarified that all strains of the virus can cause high number of deaths.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner last week said the high death rate in Ahmedabad was because of people coming late for admission in hospital. He said if people come in time whenever they show symptoms of the disease, then more lives can be saved. The city civic body last week also launched a programme, called 'Save Our Old Population'. The Commissioner said those over 65 years of age should not venture out of their homes and stay protected as many of those who died of coronavirus in the city were senior citizens.