Orthopedic surgeons at Hospicio Hospital in Margao are conducting surgeries sans electric drillers since the last six months, with the age-old time-tested hand driller coming in handy in the absence of an electric one and, embarrassingly, patients are made to procure even the bare minimum instruments, including implants, for want of sufficient stocks, reports Guilherme Almeida
Hospicio is known for all the bad reasons ~ shortage of manpower, beds and medicines and a CT-scan that often breaks down. When the Directorate of Health Services began work on the operation theatres, hopes were raised that the days of long wait for surgeries will be finally over. While the hospital today plays host to three new operation theaters, patients have to still wait in queue for their turn for surgeries for want of adequate manpower and the fact that OTs are made available for the departments in turns.
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Sources in the know said the concerned departments, whether it’s orthopedic or gynecology, general surgery etc., the OTs are allotted to each department twice a week, leaving them with no option than to wait for their turns to perform the surgeries.
Take the case of the orthopedic department. It is manned by two surgeons against the sanctioned strength of four. The OT is made available for the department twice a week, but the system has failed to clear the backlog of patients awaiting either surgeries or implant removal. The situation has reached a point wherein the department has literally stopped giving dates for implant removal as patients with emergency surgeries are accorded priority over transplant removals. “Two surgeons cannot cope up with the work load on a daily basis. There’s naturally a backlog of pending cases and implant removals are hardly given any attention now,” remarked an official in the know. That’s not all. Orthopedic surgeons at Hospicio are conducting surgeries sans an electric driller since the last six months, with the age-old time-tested hand driller coming in handy in the absence of an electric one. What’s surprising to know is that patients are made to procure even the bare minimum instruments including implants for want of sufficient stocks.
The situation is not anything different in the gynecology department. Already overburdened with a sharp rise in cases with each passing year, patients have to wait for days if not a month for their turn to undergo surgery.
Says Hospicio Medical Superintendent, Dr P Naschinolkar: “Hospicio has three operation theaters catering to the huge number of patients thronging the hospital. The OT’s are made available for the departments on certain days a week. Though the OTs are allotted to the department on certain days, we do take up emergency operations by postponing surgeries listed for the day”.
Dr Naschinolkar admitted that staff shortage and restricted number of Operation Theaters comes in the way of performing the surgeries, but hastened to add that the situation will improve once the new district hospital under construction takes shape by December-end.
A doctor in the know said that increasing the number of OTs will by itself not solve the delays and backlogs. “What the hospital requires is not just an additional OT with tables, but surgeons, nurses and servants to meet the requirements. The present staff strength was sanctioned over a decade ago. There’s an urgent need to review the manpower and equipment requirements. Hope the government takes cognizance of the shortages and deficiencies and provide the new district hospital with the bare minimum facilities,” remarked a doctor at the hospital.
