Tuesday 19 Mar 2024

Worrying doctor-patient ratio at South dist hosp

Hospital cannot ramp up further as it awaits additional doctors

THE GOAN NETWORK | MAY 09, 2021, 12:24 AM IST

MARGAO
Doctors manning the South Goa hospital are grappling with the serious issue of rapidly falling doctor-patient ratio with the hospital playing host to 530-odd patients at any given time, even as the district hospital on Saturday started the Triad system to screen the 250-odd patients rushing to the hospital for admissions.

While the district hospital has augmented the bed strength from 150 beds to 350, with present bed capacity pegged at a whopping 500, the doctor ratio per patient has not seen a corresponding increase, putting stress on the overburdened health care workers. 

Says Dr Rajesh Patil, district hospital nodal officer: “The district hospital bed strength has now crossed the 500-figure mark. Then we have patients accommodated on mattresses on the floor to make sure that no patient is sent back. Our doctors and healthcare workers, including the nurses and paramedics and multi-tasking staff (MTS), are putting their best efforts to attend to patients.”

Dr Patil has plans to put additional 50-60 beds on the second floor of the district hospital, without utilising the building’s top two floors, which has been earmarked for a private medical college. The plan, however, did not take off for the moment with the hospital awaiting the deployment of additional doctors and paramedics.

Meanwhile, the Triad  system of attending to patients making a beeline at the district hospital for admissions began at the hospital. Patients reporting to the district hospital are screened by a doctor and his team just to find out his health status before taking a call on whether to recommend home isolation or admit to the casualty for further examination.

“The Triad system, which may be called a screening exercise is set up to manage the flow of patients at the hospital. The district hospital receives around 250-odd patients per day on an average and all come to the hospital for admissions. To ensure that only the serious ones get admission, the patients are first screened by a team of doctors and nurses. If the patient has to go for home isolation, they are told to head home with medicines. Others are then referred to the casualty, 

where they have to go for a check-up. If they are serious and warrant hospitalization, they are recommended for admission in the hospital”, Dr Patil added.

Brother Soiru, in-charge of the district hospital casualty, said the shifting of the swab collection centre from the district hospital to the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, has helped to introduce Triad in the hospital for screening of the patients.

“The process will help screening the patients and provide them the right treatment. When 250-270 patients crowd at the casualty, it becomes difficult to admit everyone in the hospital. The Triad system will help regulate the flow of patients,” Bro Soiru added.


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