Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram   

Surgery units face mounting backlog

By M. Dinesh Varma

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Dec. 28. The surgery units at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital are faced with a mounting backlog of elective cases for the second time this year with the shutdown of one of the two operation theatres for maintenance works.

The shutdown of the `A' theatre comes on the heels of the reopening of the `B' theatre after a major revamp exercise that took nearly eight months and Rs. 75 lakhs to be completed.

Though the refurbished `B' theatre, replete with laminar air flow system and marble flooring, has improved the working atmosphere for surgeons, the extended delay in its commissioning had already resulted in a huge backlog of elective surgeries.

The revamping had become inevitable, as the hospital had been witnessing rising volumes of surgery patients without a matching upgradation of equipment and facilities. It is estimated that the MCH handles around 22,000 medical and 14,000 surgical admissions annually. The 30-year-old air-conditioning system had ceased to work and surgeons had to make do with ad hoc installation of window air-conditioners.

The emergency cases had remained unaffected with the establishment of full-fledged surgery facilities at the relocated Casualty block. All these years, the premier institution had only one emergency table. The new Casualty has been equipped with three operating tables, including those of the anaesthesia units, running round-the-clock.

However, the delay in commissioning the refurbished `B' theatre which deals with cardiology, orthopaedics, urology and general surgery cases, since March 28 this year had led to massive cancellation and rescheduling of elective cases. The patients from the low-income categories were the worst hit as their wait-period extended beyond a year while the better off patients took recourse to private hospitals.

And, now with the shutdown of the `A' theatre that deals with neurology, plastic surgery and surgical gastroenterology cases, hundred of patients will have to undergo an agonising wait for a fresh date, which might extend well beyond March next year.

The MCH authorities propose to modernise the `A' theatre on the lines of the `B' theatre. The revamping is being undertaken at an estimated cost of approximately Rs. 50 lakhs.

A senior surgeon suggested extending the working time of the new-look `B' theatre by a few hours to curtail the backlog of elective cases. Such a measure would be most beneficial to the poor patients who have no option but to wait for the `A' theatre to be reopened after maintenance. "After all, we have the staff, the patients and the space. It is only a question of stretching duty time by a couple of hours," he pointed out.

However, according to sources, a proposal to extend the working time beyond the stipulated 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. schedule was shot down at a recent meeting of the College Committee on Management.

The Medical College Principal has said that at least a few surgeries would be taken up at the `B' theatre as and when required.

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