Move to add more beds to GMCH’s ward for elders

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Feb 20: In sync with the phrase – your elders are betters – what does the society do for the care of aged patients? Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) has at least something to claim on this count.

Under the Central Government’s tiol Programme for Healthcare of the Elders, GMCH has a 30-bed ward exclusively meant for aged patients. Set up in 2005 with an outdoor service for three days a week, the move has been a full-fledged ward with 30 beds since August 11, 2015. Fifteen beds are for males and as many beds are for females. Three of the 15 beds for either of the sexes are meant for ICU patients. Elderly people standing in long queues in hospitals waiting for their turns for receiving treatment does prick conscience. This ward, being run by the Medicine Department of the medical institution, is a response for such a conscience pricking in society.

Keeping an eye on the patients’ response to the facility, the Medicine Department is now contemplating on increasing the number of beds of the special ward. Under the same project, the Department is also contemplating on opening another ward for taking special care for septuagerian patients, said Dr. Deba Goswami, Head of the Department of Medicine, GMCH.

It is worth mentioning here that there are only eight such wards for elderly patients in the country. Efforts are on to raise the number of such wards to 20 in the country. The ward for elderly patients in the GMCH is within the first four such wards in the country.

Top Headlines

No stories found.
Sentinel Assam
www.sentinelassam.com