Shortage of manpower, drugs the bane of ICUs

December 19, 2014 01:48 am | Updated 01:48 am IST - Bengaluru

In a city that boasts of world-class healthcare facilities attracting international patients, getting immediate treatment at many government hospitals is not easy for the common man. This was proved when two children died last week as they did not get ventilator support during the golden hour.

Following this, Health Minister U.T. Khader announced that the government will construct a separate 100-bed block with intensive care units (ICU) and ventilators on the premises of Epidemic Diseases Hospital premises on Old Madras Road.

But this alone is not the solution, say senior doctors administering major government hospitals in the city. They say that the ICUs in government hospitals are no doubt well-equipped, but manpower shortage and irregular supply of life-saving drugs and disposables is the key issue. Patients are often asked to buy medicines from outside. The problem can be addressed if medical superintendents are empowered to directly purchase drugs, said a senior doctor.

The worst part is that none of the hospitals have sanctioned posts for intensivists. Although some hospitals affiliated to Medical Colleges, including Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI), have sanctioned posts of Intensive Medical Care Officers, the posts are held either by anaesthetists or specialists in cardiology, medicine, surgery, paediatrics and pathology, sources said.

According to a senior BMCRI doctor, it is not enough if the hospital has equipment. “The need is to scale up associated infrastructure and manpower to run them. Intensive care management needs to be handled by an intensivist along with an anaesthetist. Apart from a few exceptions, where intensivists from private hospitals have been roped in as consultants, most ICUs are run by anaesthetists or senior doctors from other specialities,” the doctor said.

Another doctor pointed out that the nurse-patient ratio is not maintained (it should be 1:3 in ICUs), adding that most ICU nurses are not trained in ICU management. “It is not easy to have 100 ventilators and run the ICU like a cowshed,” she said.

“We are aware of the problems. We are working out modalities to address these issues,” said Minister of State for Medical Education Sharan Prakash Patil.

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