“Each and every patient at Sassoon hospital is being monitored closely by a team of doctors…I am sure the death rate at the hospital will soon come down,” said Dr Lahane, who has been acclaimed for holding surgical camps in remotest part of the state.
Dr Tatyarao Lahane, the director of Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) and state’s top medical expert, on Sunday said all patients at Sassoon General Hospital – including the high risk, co-morbid ones – were being monitored closely. He said he was confident that the death rate at the city’s biggest government hospital due to COVID-19 would soon come down.
“Each and every patient at Sassoon hospital is being monitored closely by a team of doctors…I am sure the death rate at the hospital will soon come down,” said Dr Lahane, who has been acclaimed for holding surgical camps in remotest part of the state.
Dr Lahane and another top medical expert Dr Subash Salukhe, chairman of the Communicable Diseases Prevention and Control Technical Committee, were asked by the state government for their guidance to handle the situation at the hospital after transferring Sassoon’s dean Dr Ajay Chandanwale amidst growing criticism over rising death of COVID-19 patients. Doctors, nurses and other staff at the hospital had staged a protest, demanding his reinstatement.
“I and Dr Chandanwale got along very well… In the current crisis, I was in support of Dr Chandanwale. I wanted him to continue, but that did not happen… He led a good team, which put in its best efforts in handling the COVID-19 challenge,” Dr Lahane said.
Explaining the initial steps taken to curb the death rate at Sassoon, Dr Lahane said, “We have formed a team of doctors and are taking review of each and every patient twice a day.”
The new team faces a difficult challenge at Sassoon, which, in the past few days, had been reporting at least two to three deaths every day. However, Dr Lahane sounded confident about bringing the death rate down through the measures his team has initiated. “I am in constant touch with the medical team and will visit the hospital in the next two days,” he said.
The high death rate at Sassoon is being attributed to the co-morbidity, meaning preexisting illnesses among patients who have contracted coronavirus.
Stating that there was need to identify and treat co-morbid patients on priority, Dr Lahane said if local civic bodies helped in identifying and getting early treatment for such patients, it will help in bringing down the death rate. Of the 39 deaths analysed at Sassoon, 37 were co-morbid patients, highlighting the danger of coronavirus among such patients. Statewide, among the 187 deaths related to COVID-19 that were analysed, 82 per cent were co-morbid patients.
On whether there was a need for government directive to home quarantine co-morbid patients, Dr Lahane said there was no need for a separate directive as the ICMR has already issued a directive on the same. “The home-quarantine of co-morbid patients can be done by civic bodies. ICMR has already issued guidelines in this regard. It should be followed by urban local bodies,” he said.
Dr Pavan Salve, the health chief of Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, said they were exploring the possibility of home-quarantine of co-morbid patients who were in high risk group. Pointing out that identifying co-morbid patients involved a big task, Dr Salave said, “Civic staff have their limitations… they need the help of volunteers, college students and office-bearers of residential societies.”
Pune Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad said identifying and treating co-morbid patients is the primary focus. “PMC will do its best in this regard,” he said.