Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Apr 20: The Emergency Ward of Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Jammu, which is supposed to be of highest standard, is lacking various basic facilities.
According to sources in the GMCH Jammu, the very basic facility viz ‘Enquiry Counter’, does not exist in its Emergency Ward, where thousands of patients not only from Jammu but other districts of the region are admitted for specialized treatment.
In the absence of an ‘Enquiry Counter’ the precious time of patients and their attendants is lost in enquiring about the same from the unconcerned people, sources said adding that for a serious patient a single minute also matters but in the Emergency Ward of GMCH Jammu the patient’s much time goes waste in reaching the concerned room or doctor due to lack of much needed Enquiry Counter.
The sources said that the second important thing which has been the cause of concern for the people is that the monitors in Room No 4 of Emergency Ward, which are used for continuous monitoring of ECG, blood pressure and ABG of a serious patient are out of order.
Sources further said that the most of the trolleys which are used to shift the patients from one place to another, are defunct or are in worst condition. Besides, for last so many months the doctors are demanding an endoscopy machine for Emergency Ward but so far authorities have failed to provide the same. All these facilities are even available in smallest private hospitals, sources added.
Apart from this, there is no Boyle’s apparatus available in Room No 4 of Emergency Ward, which is needed to give the artificial respiration to the patients with low Glassgow Coma Scale (GCS) and putting them on ventilators according to modern Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) guidelines, sources rued.
Sources said, it is shocking that emergency operation theater which saves the life of thousands of people lacks the basic requirements, as all bulbs are defunct and a light whose weight is about one quintal has been hung by ropes which can break anytime. Boyle’s apparatus in Emergency Operation Theatre is about 30 years old. Its every part is leaking and the staff on duty is bound to inhale gases leaked from it, which is injurious to health. Moreover, operating table is near about ten years old which stops functioning while making different positions for different surgeries.
When contacted, Medical Superintendent, GMCH, Jammu, Dr Ravinder Rattan Pal, admitted that the patients and their attendants have to face many hardships due to lack of an ‘Enquiry Counter” in Emergency Ward. He said we are already on the job and identifying the place to establish it shortly.
However, he denied that the monitors in Room No 4 are not functional. He said there are two big and small monitors in the room and all are in good condition. On worst condition of trolleys, Dr Rattan Pal said “we have already placed an order for 69 trolleys with cushion and all other facilities to a private firm and the same is expected to reach here till 26th of this month”.
Regarding endoscopy machine and Boyle’s apparatus, he said that endoscopy machine is mostly used in Gastroenterology Department, which has been shifted to Super Specialty Hospital. Admitting that the Boyle’s apparatus is quite old and needed to be replaced, he said that they are expecting one endoscopy Machine and one Boyle’s apparatus for Emergency Ward.
Dr Rattan Pal said, “as far as Emergency Operation Theatre is concerned, we have created a new one on the next floor which is almost ready and within one month it will be made functional. However the bulbs in the running operation theatre which were damaged have been replaced with new ones while a portable light has been provided in the theatre as a supplement to the main light, he added.
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