Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Revamp of MCH casualty ward on

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Medical College Hospital (MCH) authorities are going ahead with the major revamp of the emergency care and management services at its casualty department for which the government and the MCH faculty have extended full support.

Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy and Health Secretary Vishwas Mehta, who visited the hospital on Thursday, held discussions with the authorities, including the Director of Medical Education, the Principal, the Superintendent, all heads of departments and the faculty.

A government order issued earlier this week extending the out-patient (OP) timings to 4 p.m. as part of the reforms had ruffled some feathers. However, the confusion was cleared at the meeting, with the Minister clarifying that speciality departments were not expected to run clinics till 4 p.m. Ms. Sreemathy said OP treatment would be available at the casualty from 2 p.m. till 4 p.m. under the community medicine department for people coming with minor ailments like fever. This was for the speedy management of minor ailments and to ensure that these were not mixed up with emergency cases.

Dr. Mehta said 2009 would see a total reform of the MCH. The expansion under the Rs.120-crore Prime Minister’s Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, lab accreditation process, etc. would be supported with the provision of additional manpower to ensure the quality of care.

Ms. Sreemathy and Dr. Mehta also went around the MCH and inspected the newly-shifted blood bank, the centralised laboratory complex and the casualty services which are being revamped.

Meanwhile, a lot of structural and system changes have already been put in place in the casualty wing.

The triage hall and the observation/transit wards have been modified. The registration, information counters have been modified to face outside, so that the crowding inside the casualty waiting area is reduced. A full-fledged waiting area is being created at the casualty.

The minor ailments OP will function as part of the triage, at one end of the hall. MCH sources said that arrangements have already been made for doing ECG examination inside the triage itself. Two additional portable ventilators and a portable ultra sound scanning machine have already been provided in the casualty. A blood samples collection facility has been created for emergency lab tests. The major change, however, has been the manner in which manpower support has been improved at all levels in the casualty. The services of additional nursing students, nursing assistants, house surgeons, post graduate students and other paramedical staff have now been ensured for emergency care.

“We are in the process of giving them training in emergency care. We also hope to develop and retain them as a core emergency management team,” a senior MCH official said.

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