Long wait time for surgeries, non-functional OTs at major Delhi govt hospitals: CAG report

As per information furnished by the Surgery Department, the average number of major surgeries conducted per month ranged between 216 and 281 from 2016-17 to 2019-20 — the audit period — and the average waiting time was two to three months.

In the Burns & Plastic Surgery department, the average number of major surgeries conducted per month ranged between 86 and 95 during the same period, whereas the average number of minor surgeries conducted per month was between 85 and 375.

In comparison, at AIIMS, a doctor from the department of surgery said cancer surgeries have seen an average waiting time of 15-20 days at the institute since the surgical block was established in 2021. However, surgeries for hernia and gallstones take 3-6 months since the patient load is very high.

A senior doctor from the Burns and Plastic Surgery department at AIIMS said there is a system of graded waiting at the institute. Emergency surgeries are done at the earliest while surgeries that need to be done in a phased manner take time. However, the average time for elective surgeries is 6-8 months here as well.

The report also noted that at Lok Nayak, a major operation theater in the Surgery department was not functional from 2016-17 till date (August 2022). The reason for not repairing or replacing it, as well as action taken to improve wait time for surgeries, was not provided by the hospital, it said.

The report further said that 6 out of 12 modular operation theaters at RGSSH and all seven modular OTs at Janakpuri hospital were lying idle due to a shortage of manpower.

The CAG report further pointed to a high workload at registration counters in hospitals that were used as samples during the survey. The average consultation time per patient was less than five minutes in the Medicine and Gynaecology departments at Lok Nayak Hospital.

Patient load per pharmacist/ counter at the hospital was also high due to a shortage of pharmacists. Medicines were not distributed on the same day, it added.

A shortage of essential medicines and equipment was observed in the ICU and emergency departments of Lok Nayak and RGSSH. Indoor Patient Departments (IPDs) were found to be crowded in many wards at Lok Nayak.

The report also said that the Sushruta Trauma Centre of Lok Nayak did not have a permanent arrangement of specialist doctors and senior residents for 24-hour emergency services, and a major portion of CATS ambulances were found running without essential equipment and devices.

The One Stop Centre (OSC) at Lok Nayak, which provides multiple facilities and services under one roof to rape victims, did not have dedicated staff, it said. Records of reviews of child death cases and ante-natal care were not maintained, it added.

Facilities for patients found lacking

– At Lok Nayak, there were few toilets and a scarcity of waiting areas for attendants.

– Dietary services were not available at Janakpuri Super Specialty Hospital and Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital. Periodic inspection was not conducted by the dieticians and the quality of food was never checked.

– There were shortfalls in conducting patient satisfaction surveys, death reviews, etc., by the test-checked hospitals, depriving themselves from getting the benefit of such assessments for further improvement of patient services, noted the report.