Approval to shift patients not granted, clinical panel disbanded

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, May 7

An emergency situation arose at the Regional Hospital, Solan, yesterday when 13 critically-ill patients arrived there around 6 pm. The health of 20 other admitted patients also deteriorated and all 33 required urgent shifting to a higher medical facility; the hospital has no functional ventilator. The issue was immediately referred to the clinical committee tasked with granting approval. The committee, however, did not give the go-ahead.

Ventilator shortage

• The lack of critical care facilities for Covid-19 patients in the district is leading to more deaths
• The shortage of ventilators has emerged as the key issue, especially in the BBN industrial belt
• All 12 ventilator beds at MM Medical College are in use while those installed at the makeshift hospital at Nalagarh and six at the ESIC Hospital, Katha, are yet to be made functional, says a health official
• Shortage of anaesthetists to operate ventilators is also a cause for concern

The committee comprises Dr Shyam Kaushik and Dr Vinay Kaushik, head of Paediatrics Department and head of Medicine Department at Dr YS Parmar Government Medical College, Nahan, respectively. They also are empowered to decide referral cases of Solan district.

“The Chief Medical Officer was directed to shift the 33 patients to MM Medical College and Hospital and the ESIC Hospital, Katha, as the clinical committee did not grant the approval. As many as 19 ambulances were arranged from Nalagarh, Nauni, Kandaghat, Rotary Club, Cantonment Board, Kasauli as also from 108 services and the patients were shifted to higher hospitals immediately,” said KC Chaman, DC, Solan.

He added that the issue was taken up with the Health Secretary today and the clinical committee was disbanded. “Healthcare facilities in the district have not been upgraded despite a steep rise in Covid cases. The lack of manpower is another handicap as the staff of peripheral health institutes has been shifted to major hospitals,” said a senior medical officer.

There is a shortage of anathestists in the district. An anaesthetist is deputed at the Nalagarh hospital at and two at the ESIC Hospital, Katha, where several critical patients are admitted.