Shortage of ICU beds causing ‘preventable’ deaths in government hospitals

CRITICAL CARE CRISIS

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Dispur’s tall claims of providing the best healthcare facilities to the people of the State has fallen flat due to shortage of beds at Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in all government hospitals including the premiere Gauhati Medical College & Hospital (GMCH).

Health experts have told The Sentinel that inadequate number of ICU beds has compelled GMCH and five other government medical colleges & hospitals in the State to deny intensive care to even to critically ill patients leading to many “possible preventable” deaths.

In the last three to four years, the GMCH had to turn away more than 3,000 critical patients due to lack of ICU beds. The hospital is considered as the premiere health institute in the north-eastern region that has around 90 ICU beds. Some of the important departments such as cardiology, neurology and medicine have a very few number of ICU beds. The hospital does not have any ICU facility for geriatric patients.

As the ICU beds in the GMCH are overstretched, the critically-ill patients have no option but to opt for private hospitals for intensive care treatment by spending a huge amount of money. Moreover, the government hospitals face the pressure from ministers, MLAs, bureaucrats and politicians to allot ICU beds to their close and dear ones.

The scenario in Assam Medical College & Hospital, Dibrugarh, Silchar Medical College & Hospital, Jorhat Medical College & Hospital, Tezpur Medical College & Hospital and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed College & Hospital, Barpeta is worse than the GMCH. Barring a few, most of the critical care departments in five government hospitals (excluding GMCH) do not have minimum 10 ICU seats each.

Taking advantage of the scenario at government hospitals sources said intensive care has turned out to be the major source of income for private healthcare providers compared to any other format or method of treatment. According to a conservative estimate the total number of ICU beds in private hospitals across the State is nearly 900.

A doctor at GMCH admitting the crisis said lack of adequate number of doctors and nurses is one of the prime hurdles in enhancing the number of ICU beds at the hospital. He said the GMCH having more than 2200 general beds is engaging a huge number of doctors and nurses to look after patients in general wards. “At present doctors at ICUs have to treat patients at OPD and general wards. We need dedicated doctors and nurses for ICU care,” the doctor said.

When contacted, Principal Secretary of Health & Family Welfare department Samir Kumar Sinha told this newspaper that the government is aware of the crisis and taking it very seriously to find out a solution.

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