Hospitals stretched, bar staff from taking leave
The numbers are staggering. In the past week, over 5,000 people have turned up at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for H1N1 screening.
By Rumu Banerjee, TNN |
NEW DELHI: The numbers are staggering. In the past week, over 5,000 people have turned up at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for H1N1 screening. It���s not just RML which has been overrun by anxious patients . At Safdarjung, over 1,000 have come in the past couple of days alone while other hospitals like Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital, Lal Bahadur Shastri and the others on the list are as stretched. Not surprisingly, the impact is being felt in the other departments . Doctors say that deployment of staff to the screening facility has meant resources are stretched to the limits elsewhere too.
Said a senior health official , ������ Till a month ago, before the virus hit on such a large scale, shortage of doctors and nurses had been taking its toll. There were reports of negligence due to lack of resources. Now, with at least 30% of resources dedicated to H1N1 in all the designated hospitals, you can imagine how bad the situation is.������ Adding to the stress is the upcoming Independence Day celebrations. As part of the drill, Lok Nayak Hospital will be on standby, as its the nearest to Red Fort.
While most hospitals like RML and Safdarjung have kept a dedicated team of over 30 medical staff for the screening, elsewhere, like in Baba Saheb, the team consists of over a dozen medical personnel. Most of the medical staff working on H1N1 screening are from the internal medicine department, apart from the paramedical staff that has been roped in to lend assistance. Said Dr NK Chaturvedi, MS, RML, ������ We are rotating our staff at the screening facility, so that there���s no impact on the other departments.������
Dr Jagdish Prasad, MS, Safdarjung hospital, agreed. ������ The rush is because of the panic, which is not necessary . H1N1 is just another type of flu. Of the 400 samples sent for screening, only three were positive.������ He admits that the rush has meant that doctors ��� in his case, 12 physicians and 14 nurses apart an additional MS ��� have been kept on their toes, with no one allowed to go on leave unless absolutely necessary . Adds Dr Bangotra, MS, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, ������ Till now, we have managed to ensure that none of the department suffers.������ But how long is the question.
Said a senior health official , ������ Till a month ago, before the virus hit on such a large scale, shortage of doctors and nurses had been taking its toll. There were reports of negligence due to lack of resources. Now, with at least 30% of resources dedicated to H1N1 in all the designated hospitals, you can imagine how bad the situation is.������ Adding to the stress is the upcoming Independence Day celebrations. As part of the drill, Lok Nayak Hospital will be on standby, as its the nearest to Red Fort.
While most hospitals like RML and Safdarjung have kept a dedicated team of over 30 medical staff for the screening, elsewhere, like in Baba Saheb, the team consists of over a dozen medical personnel. Most of the medical staff working on H1N1 screening are from the internal medicine department, apart from the paramedical staff that has been roped in to lend assistance. Said Dr NK Chaturvedi, MS, RML, ������ We are rotating our staff at the screening facility, so that there���s no impact on the other departments.������
Dr Jagdish Prasad, MS, Safdarjung hospital, agreed. ������ The rush is because of the panic, which is not necessary . H1N1 is just another type of flu. Of the 400 samples sent for screening, only three were positive.������ He admits that the rush has meant that doctors ��� in his case, 12 physicians and 14 nurses apart an additional MS ��� have been kept on their toes, with no one allowed to go on leave unless absolutely necessary . Adds Dr Bangotra, MS, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, ������ Till now, we have managed to ensure that none of the department suffers.������ But how long is the question.
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