K.R. Hospital sets up additional OPD to deal with patient rush

A large number of patients queuing up at K.R. Hospital in Mysuru on Thursday as most private hospitals and clinics remained shut over the doctors’ strike.

With a large number of patients thronging the State-run K.R. Hospital in the city from morning on Thursday, the authorities were forced to temporarily set up an additional outpatient department. The unprecedented rush at the hospital was the fallout of the strike by private hospitals over the proposed amendments to the KPME Act.

A team of five doctors was deployed at the OPD in addition to the regular team of doctors and nurses to attend to the patients. At least 1,687 people were treated as outpatients at the hospital from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., while 124 patients were admitted. Doctors had to work beyond their routine work hours, with most of the departments, which normally close by 4 p.m., operating past 5.30 p.m.

According to S. Chandrashekar, superintendent of the K.R. Hospital, 46 major surgeries and 10 minor ones were performed on the day. He said steps have been taken to accommodate more patients at the hospital, with many special wards converted into general ones. A similar step was taken a couple of months ago following the dengue outbreak in the district.

Even the diagnostic units for ultrasound, CT scanning and MRI scanning were flooded with patients and functioned overtime, Dr. Chandrashekar said. He said apart from a couple of doctors, who have been long leave for days, the staff worked all day, and many doctors who were on leave or training were summoned back to the hospital to deal with the rush.

District Health Officer Basavaraju told The Hindu that the staff strength at all taluk hospitals, community health centres and primary health centres was full. He said there was huge rush at many of the taluk hospitals, including the ones at H.D. Kote, Hunsur and T. Narsipur. Additional drugs were supplied to ensure patients would get the required medicines, he added.

The DHO and the district surgeon, Pashupathi, were in constant touch with the taluk-level health officials and nodal officers. Dr. Basavaraju said he had issued a circular instructing all medical staff not to avail leave till the doctors’ strike is called off.