Chandigarh: GMCH to have dept of emergency medicine, UT clears proposal

Director Principal of GMCH A K Janmeja told Chandigarh Newsline that the GMCH is the first hospital apparently in the region which will have a separate department with faculty specialised in dealing with the emergency cases

GMCH officials said that the project to set up 200-bedded emergency is aimed to lessen the “rush at the emergency”. (Express Photo)

THE GOVERNMENT Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, is all set to become first hospital in the city to have a full-fledged department of emergency medicine. The Chandigarh administration, officials say, has cleared the proposal which was sent by the GMCH administration. Director Principal of GMCH A K Janmeja told Chandigarh Newsline that the GMCH is the first hospital apparently in the region which will have a separate department with faculty specialised in dealing with the emergency cases.

“These doctors will be specialising in dealing with the emergency cases. The patients coming to the emergency will be kept under observation of the department of emergency medicine doctors for 24 hours, following which the patients would be sent to the specialised department for treatment like orthopedics, neurosurgery for further management,” said Dr Janmeja.

He said that the hospital administration would soon recruit faculty for this department with specialisation in emergency medicine. GMCH officials said that of late there has been an increase in the number of emergency patients. The doctors said that they were currently facing four times higher occupancy in its 54-bedded emergency. That is why the GMCH recently created an additional emergency ward with 70 beds.

Dr Janmeja said that the new department of emergency medicine would be located in the new emergency block. The institute has also started a process to extend the existing emergency by setting up 200-bedded emergency block at the hospital. As per the plan, the institute will raise another emergency block in front of the present emergency centre.

GMCH officials said that the project to set up 200-bedded emergency is aimed to lessen the “rush at the emergency” which is recording a huge rush of patients round the clock.

Half of the patients who visited GMCH OPD and emergency last year were from the neighbouring states. Out of over five lakh OPD patients registered in 2016, 2.74 lakh (51 per cent) patients were from Chandigarh while the neighbouring states constituted 49 per cent of the patients who visited the institute.

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