Here’s how ailing casualty depts at hospitals are

Two days after mobs attacked hospitals, Hindustan Times decided to take a closer look at the working of the hospital’s casualty department, reports Naziya Alvi.

Two days after mobs attacked hospitals, Hindustan Times decided to take a closer look at the working of the hospital’s casualty department.

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Between 1 pm and 4 pm on Thursday, close to 60 patients were brought into the casualty that has five beds and barely three doctors and three nurses at any point of time.

At 2.30 pm the first serious accident patient, Mahesh Pahuskar (11), was brought in with a fractured, bleeding foot. A truck had hit him at Ghatkopar. A neighbour, who spotted him on the road brought him to the hospital.

For the next half an hour he was busy completing formalities. The senior resident doctor of orthopedic was out for lunch and the senior resident surgeon had reportedly accompanied another serious patient for CAT-scan. The general medicine doctor was busy with other patients. The chief medical officer directed Balerao to take Pahuskar for an X-ray. At 3 pm, the second serious patient, 35-year-old unconscious Manoj is rushed in on a wheelchair accompanied by his wife and a cousin.

It was a case of excessive drinking and Manoj needed admission to an intensive care unit (ICU). However, the department’s sole ward boy had taken Pahuskar for his X-ray.

Finally, Ahmed Omar (50), who accompanied another patient, volunteered to wheel Manoj to the ICU. Within 15 minutes they were back, but Manoj was declared ‘brought dead’.

At 3.30 pm, the two doctors walked in.

By then, Pahuskar’s X-ray report came in and the doctor confirmed the fracture. At 4 pm, Pahuskar was given local anesthesia followed by stitches, a dressing and a plaster.