On July 10, Dr. Shivaprakash, District Surgeon and Superintendent of Wenlock Hospital, appealed to ensure the availability of ICU beds before referring patients to the hospital for emergency treatment. The hospital has already set up a help desk and a public relations system to address this issue. In the future, the hospital plans to provide information on bed availability on its website.
Dr. Shivaprakash stated that patients from 31 districts, including Kerala, are referred to Wenlock Hospital for various treatments under Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka (ABRK) and other schemes. The hospital has 116 ICU beds, but the high number of emergency patients from other districts has led to a severe shortage of beds.
Dr. Shivaprakash emphasized that before referring patients to Wenlock Hospital, it is essential to check the availability of beds. If not, critically ill patients may be transferred from one place to another, worsening their condition. He also mentioned that the hospital has written to the State Health and Family Welfare Department to issue guidelines for transferring patients between district hospitals.
In cases where patients are referred from other districts, the hospital does not delay admission if beds are available. However, if ICU beds are not available, the staff refers patients to nearby private hospitals for treatment under ABRK, which can take some time. Dr. Shivaprakash stressed that it is not fair to blame Wenlock Hospital in such situations and that state-level guidelines are necessary to address this issue.
Patients from other districts are often referred to Wenlock Hospital without prior notice, and they require ICU beds. However, the unavailability of beds can lead to further distress for patients and their families. Dr. Shivaprakash highlighted that the hospital faces challenges in providing ICU beds to patients from other districts, as well as to local patients who require various treatments, including surgeries.
The hospital has already requested an additional 50 ventilator beds to address the shortage. Currently, the hospital has 21 medical ICUs and 27 surgical ICUs, with a total of 116 ICU beds.
Image for illustration purposes only
📰 Source: Vartha Bharati DK