It sadly been noticed that patients who come for emergency treatment at Victoria Hospital in Bangalore were not always assured of immediate attention . The emergency ward at the hospital is said to be struggling to accommodate cases during mass tragedies owing to lack of beds. This has been further worsened with one of the wings of the casualty ward being under repair from the last four months.
He hospital sources have said that the 964-bed Government-run Victoria Hospital gets the highest number of emergency cases in the city. They explained that as the 'annexe ward' in the emergency is currently closed because repair of a leaking roof, the 16 beds in the ward cannot be used to accommodate casualty patients.The hospital reportedly received 16,875 emergency cases last year of which 3,898 were assault cases. About 3,120 accident cases were attended to. The hospital had admitted 1,670 alcohol-related cases while the emergency ward attended to 2,488 burns patients. The other emergencies handled were patients who had consumed poison (2,347), snakebite victims (707), rape victims (16) and other emergencies (2,632).
A senior doctor explained that in times of any mass tragedy where there are a lot lot of persons injured or taken ill, they are finding it difficult to admit them in the emergency ward because beds are not available. He further explained that it gets worse at night as there is also a shortage of both medical and nursing staff, he explained that there have been times when they had been forced to refuse admission of patients because no bed was available. He also explained that some times they were forced to shift older patients who were currently receiving treatment in the emergency wards had to be shifted out so that they could accommodate new patients who were in a more serious condition.
The authorities explained that the government realising that many patients were lying on the floors, due to the lack of beds had in the emergency ward had sanctioned the annexe that had come up after a couple of years. They explained that the ward, which has 16 beds, has an asbestos sheet as the roof. That they state has sprung leaks and so is closed for renovation from the last 4 months.
Though the hospital authorities have said that the Public Works Department have started work on the annexe ward and are replacing the asbestos sheet by a RCC roof, a reporter of the Hindu who had visited the place on Friday, stated that there was no sign of any ongoing renovation work and the asbestos sheet was untouched.
When the Medical Superintendent K.V. Ashok Kumar was contacted, he said that the annexe ward would be ready for use in a week's time. He stated that the PWD is repairing the false ceiling and once finished the ward will be available to the patients. He also stated that a 25-bed mass casualty ward is to be opened shortly in the centenary building on the hospital premises and a 14-bed surgical intensive care unit will also be coming up soon at the same building.
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