After spending many months primarily focusing on COVID-19 pandemic, Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) in Madurai has slowly started performing elective surgeries with necessary safety precautions. Post relaxation of lockdown norms, the number of outpatients visiting the GRH is also on the rise.
In the wake of the COVID-19 positive cases, elective surgeries were put on hold in a number of government hospitals, including the GRH.
GRH Dean J. Sangumani said that emergency and semi-elective surgeries have picked up in the hospital in the last two months. A total of 3,210 surgeries for non-COVID-19 patients were performed across all departments in September, he said. "Currently, on an average around 50 surgeries are being performed in the hospital everyday," he said.
The Dean said that a total of 237 surgeries have been performed for COVID-19 positive patients from April till date at GRH. "If any patient displays clinical symptoms, we do a CT scan and test the patient for COVID-19. But, if it is an emergency situation, we do not wait for the test results and perform the surgery, as saving the patient's life is more important," said Dr. Sangumani.
K. Senthil, Treatment Coordinator for the COVID-19 speciality wing of GRH, said in case of COVID-19 positive patients, surgeries were performed only if there was an emergency.
A majority of the surgeries were performed in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department of the GRH. Head of the department N. Sumathi said that apart from deliveries, elective surgeries like family planning procedures were also performed by the doctors.
Performing surgeries wearing personal protective equipment for long a duration is quite challenging for the doctors, added Dr. Sumathi. “Sometimes doctors feel suffocated while performing surgeries, leading to dehydration. So, another team of doctors are asked to be ready to continue with the surgery,” she added.
Concurring with this viewpoint, Dr. Senthil said that doctors were also advised to take short-duration breaks in between the surgeries.
Currently the number of outpatients visiting the GRH is around 90% of the outpatients who used to visit the hospital before the COVID-19 pandemic, said the Dean.
With the increase in inflow of people, the hospital is taking additional measures to manage crowds and ensure adherence to precautionary norms, said Dr. Sangumani. “Wash basins with soaps have been set installed within the hospital premises to ensure that the patients and attenders wash their hands frequently. We are also repeatedly announcing the attenders to maintain adequate personal distance from each other inside the hospital,” he added.
Dr. Senthil said that entry inside the GRH is allowed only through three gates in order to avoid crowding inside the hospital.
