AFTER THE Wednesday fire, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) that caters to super-specialty treatment of patients from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Nepal has turned into a gas chamber of sorts. Also, this is turning out to be the longest and most acute ‘surgery holiday’ at the institute, as till now it is not known whether surgeries would start on Monday or not.
The fire, caused due to short circuit in cables, has totally disrupted the air-conditioning system, which ventilates the seven-storied ‘air tight’ hospital building. Without a functional air-conditioning system, no surgeries can take place at the institute. Along with the operation theaters various other services like pathology, radiology etc also could not start functioning. A number of department heads managed to hire generators to save the existing samples that were collected before the fire.
Meanwhile, the Hospital Information System (HIS) that contains patients’ treatment records and surgeries schedules along with registration and discharge details started functioning on Friday. The lighting and fan systems in operation theatres, emergency ward, and OPD have also been restored.
“We cannot restart surgeries unless we have power and air conditioning restoration to all the areas like sterilization, diagnostics etc, as its not an isolated process,” said Dr AK Bhatt, the medical superintendent, SGPGIMS.
It is learnt that the patients, who need emergency medical intervention are being diverting to Delhi or other private hospitals in the city. While those who can wait have lodged themselves in various city hotels, guesthouses and nursing homes. Migration of patients that began on Wednesday continues unabated.
{{/usCountry}}It is learnt that the patients, who need emergency medical intervention are being diverting to Delhi or other private hospitals in the city. While those who can wait have lodged themselves in various city hotels, guesthouses and nursing homes. Migration of patients that began on Wednesday continues unabated.
{{/usCountry}}And it is not just the patients who are upset. “Once the services are restored, there would be a massive backlog of cases that we would have to deal with,” said a surgeon.