Fewer staff affects quality care of sick babies in Chandigarh hospitals

CHANDIGARH: With few hands to manage sick babies in the city-based government referral hospitals, the quality of care is being compromised. Although there is no scarcity of MBBS doctors, those with sub specialisation are seldom available. Also, under the Emergency Covid Response Preparedness, doctors in Punjab and Haryana are being trained by the PGI to intubate patients, but this will take some time. Till then, the surge in tropical infections are flooding the hospitals.
Out of 700 admissions of babies during September at PGI, pneumonia and influenza-like illnesses were the highest with 180 cases. In addition, Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, saw 15-20 cases during September of snake bites in children, the highest in a single month in the last decade.

Doctors said there is a dearth of specialists and due to delay in MD exam in GMCH, junior resident posts were also vacant. “We have eight faculty members who are teaching, taking ward rounds and also doing administrative work. While six junior residents post is vacant as the MD intake was delayed due to Covid. Moreover, out of 11 senior residents, we have just three at the moment,” said Prof Vishal Guglani, head of the pediatrics department, GMCH.
Those in the tertiary hospitals — PGI and GMCH — feel within the Tricity, there is a robust system of referrals, but those coming from the adjoining states do not have proper discharge summary.
‘Referral note helps in patient care’
Prof Jayashree Muralidharan, emergency in-charge at Advanced Paediatric Centre, PGI, said, “A referral note helps us to understand the care and treatment given to the patient during admission. We can accordingly, decide the next course of treatment. But this summary is sketchy, particularly of patients coming from the neighbouring states.”
Experts said during the recent pandemic, the government has put in place things to strengthen and streamline. “There is a proposal to start a hub and spoke model to hand-hold lower levels of health care through tele medicine. We would be a hub to Sector 45 pediatric hospital and to the GMSH 16 hospital’s pediatric department,” said Prof Jayashree