Doctors losing patience as PGI struggles to handle patient inflow

Apart from Chandigarh,PGI caters to patients from a number of other states,including Punjab,Haryana,Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Residents of these states form a substantial part of the patients coming everyday.

There are 308 doctors at PGI and 171 posts are lying vacant. Apart from them, there are resident doctors who share the burden. The Out Patients Department at the new OPD block receives around 250 to 300 patients everyday. At least twice a week,the number crosses 400. Recently,a decision was taken to curtail the number of patients being examined here to 200. However,the decision was reverted as it was felt that it was not possible to restrict the number of patients.

Chairman of the United Frontal Organisations of Health Dr A P Sanwaria said: “There is a human limit to the number of patients that the doctors can examine. For a doctor to examine 100 patients a day is very taxing. However,curtailing the number of patients to be examined is not the solution. There is a need to increase the strength of doctors. Funds should be utilised to increase manpower. The healthcare facilities in the periphery should be strengthened.”

At the Advanced Eye Centre at PGI,around 850 patients are examined everyday. The patients are screened by two senior residents and other junior residents and then referred to the special clinics where they are examined.

Professor Amod Gupta,head of the Ophthalmology Department,said: “The aim is to give personalised care to every patient. The debate about the burden on doctors has been going on for some time. However,in India we cannot follow the system followed in the US of examining one patient for 20 minutes to half an hour. I think that over the years,the doctors have developed extra skills and have become sharper in order to cope with the patient rush. We provide one of the best healthcare facilities in the country.”

However,many doctors do complain about excess burden and the lack of adequate time to examine patients. The patients in turn arrive early in the morning and then have to wait till the afternoon to get themselves examined. Long queues do not seem to be a deterrent for them.

In fact,the situation is such that some patients cannot bear the cost of commuting from their parent states frequently and camp at PGI till the treatment is over. Many a times they cannot find accommodation even in the sarai or cannot afford to stay there. So,patients staying under the open sky with their attendants is a common sight.

A senior citizen,Rajesh Kumar,who comes from Ambala every few days to get treatment,said the rush may be more,but there is no other hospital that they would visit as they have faith in the doctors here.

A doctor at the institute said that due to the heavy rush of patients,at times it becomes difficult to pay attention.

The 1,600 beds in different wards are packed almost all the time.

The emergency ward of PGI has been functioning at 300 per cent of its approved capacity. PGI Director Dr K K Talwar had recently expressed concern at the number of patients coming to the emergency at PGI and had appealed that the healthcare facilities in the periphery be upgraded and only serious cases be referred to the emergency.