Wednesday, May 25, 2005
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Thiruvananthapuram
C. Maya
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Shortage of anaesthetists is emerging as a major problem at the Medical College Hospital (MCH) resulting in long waiting list for surgeries in several crucial departments. At present, the departments of Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics, Surgical Gastroenterology, General Surgery and Gynaecology have a long waiting list of patients, who cannot be operated upon before September because of the shortage of anaesthetists. The Anaesthesiology Department has to cater to the requirements of the MCH, the SAT hospital and the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology. While the department has about 37 staff members, only 27 are actually in service. "On any given day, just 20 anaesthetists are available for theatre duty, while about 29 operation tables function at a time every day at MCH and SAT alone," points out a senior anaesthetist. The number of operating tables in MCH has gone up in recent times with the development of super-specialities. There are departments like the Orthopaedics, which has a daily influx of patients and has to perform surgeries round-the-clock to manage its waiting list. "Each operating table requires a full-time anaesthetist. But apart from our service in the theatres, we also have to provide people for the 24-hour critical care unit, anaesthesia assessment clinic, various ICUs, wards and the Cath lab. At present, the entire show is run by our post graduate students," one of the lecturers said. There has to be an anaesthetist on duty and another on call round-the-clock in the hospital. However, SAT hospital also has to share the same facility. Last week, when an emergency came up at the MCH, the person who was on call was engaged at the SAT hospital, according to MCH sources. "Because of our increased work pressure, we are often forced to cut elective tables and this leads to complaints as well as surgery waiting lists," he added. The SAT hospital, where about 25 to 30 surgeries are taking place daily, has taken an anaesthetist on contract to manage its rush. The Cardio Thoracic Surgery Department has also been forced to do the same, as they have to perform long and complicated surgeries every day. Sources at the Anaesthesiology Department say that at present, trauma cases are handled lightly because of staff shortage. Several cases of spinal injuries at the Neurosurgery Department, which demand immediate surgeries, are getting postponed because anaesthetists are scarce. The fact that a lot of routine surgeries are shunted to the MCH from periphery hospitals does not help much. More anaesthetists should be made available to MCH at least on contract basis, doctors have demanded.
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