Lack of ICU beds at GB Pant Hospital

Lack of ICU beds for emergency neuro and cardiac surgery patients at GB Pant, the Delhi government’s only super-speciality hospital, is turning into a nightmare with critically-ill patients being forced to shift to trolley beds or in the general ward.

Lack of ICU beds for emergency neuro and cardiac surgery patients at GB Pant, the Delhi government’s only super-speciality hospital, is turning into a nightmare with critically-ill patients being forced to shift to trolley beds or in the general ward.

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“The 24 beds in the two ICUs are always full, so we have to accommodate emergency patients in the ICU by shifting ill patients to trolley beds or the general ward,” said a senior resident doctor at the Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery department.

At GB Pant Hospital, 180-200 cardiac surgeries are conducted in a month. “There are emergency beds in the cardiology and neurology departments, but not for the cadiothoracic and vascular surgry department,” he added.

Emergency cases include open heart surgeries as well as minor cases like arterial injuries and blockage in blood vessels. On an average, there are 6-8 open heart surgeries in a month and 10-15 minor cases.

“Neurosurgery patients are usually referred to Lok Nayak Hospital, which has provisions for emergency services in the neurosurgery department. But there is no such provision in cardiac surgery,” he said.

The Delhi government blames space constraint for the mess. “Sometimes, even if you want to extend facilities, you cannot do it because of space constraint. To take the load off GB Pant, we are working at starting the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital and Janakpuri Super Speciality Hospital at the earliest,” said Delhi Health minister Ashok Kumar Walia.