‘Most cases put on trolleys to accommodate huge patient influx’
By: Ahmad Shabir
Anantnag: With block A of the Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag still under construction, the space starved causality ward of the healthcare facility is witnessing huge chaos during the night hours due the flow of patients.
The ward having the capacity of less than 20 beds remains stuffed with at least fifty patients, thus putting the burden on the doctors & hospital staff and leaving the patients as well as the attendants to suffer.
The corridor of the ward leading to different rooms including the one where ventilators are installed also remains virtually blocked with trolleys fixed by the hospital management to deal with the huge patient rush.
In the ward meant for emergency cases, there is hardly any space between the beds making it difficult for attendants, medical staff to move.
Para-medics on night shift are seen struggling to reach and attend to patients.
Attendants of patients admitted in the ward throughout the night have to bring in trolleys from outside and then find a space for the same.
It takes nearly 20 to 30 minutes for attendants to find some space for their patients in the ward with Para-medics on night duty expressing helplessness in both arranging beds or finding space for the patients.
This reporter saw many attendants pleading the Para-medics to attend to their patients without beds.
“You first find some space for your patient then only I can attend her. How can I put him on IV fluids unless she finds a bed or trolley,” replied one of the Para-medic.
The chaos in the ward is such that some attendants prefer to leave and take their patients back home even without consulting doctors.
This reporter spoke to an attendant who after failing to find the space for his patient decided to move back home to avoid, what he said, more agony to the patient and catching infection himself.
“My sister is suffering from severe stomach and abdomen pain. Doctors advised some injectables with IV fluids but for the last 15 minutes I cannot find a space where I can place her on trolley. Now I thought it is better to move back home and get a neighbouring medicate who can put her on IV fluids. Here it only means furthering the agonies of the patient. This is a joke in the name of healthcare,” the man told this reporter before leaving the ward with his patient.
This reporter on seeing chaos in the ward spoke to a Para-medic on the night duty, who said that these scenes happen every night in the ward.
“Don’t you see patients in the ward are three times more than its capacity? We are now used to such chaotic situations here as we have to handle such rush, some times more than this, every night. This chaos will end only after the new block of the hospital is completed and made functional,” the Para-medic said.
Principal, GMC Anantnag, Dr Tariq Qureshi admitted that the emergency ward remains hugely overcrowded but added that the issue will be solved by March 2022 when the new block gets ready.
“In new block, we will have almost 100 beds for emergency purpose. What made the things worse is that we had to designate two wards for Covid management,” Principal told Precious Kashmir.
