While the government hospitals have started the routine procedures and outpatient services, however the majority of doctors are still on COVID-19 duty. Very few doctors are available to manage with other illnesses and patients are forced to wait for elective surgery. Few patients are forced to seek private treatment due to absence of facilities in government hospitals.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Aarti Kamble was suggested hysterectomy after she developed acute pain in her abdomen. She decided to wait, till the pandemic passed and took medicines. In July, as the government hospitals started their routine outpatient services, Kamble visited JJ hospital and she was asked to come after one month as they don’t have enough anesthetists.

Kamble experienced acute pain on Friday again and went back to JJ hospital and then she was admitted for an emergency procedure. She tested COVID-19 negative, but since three days the surgery is still to take place. Kamble said that her condition has aggravated in the past two months and the sonography revealed two knots in her uterus, earlier it was just one knot.

Dr Ashok Anand, head of the gynaecology department, said that they have gynecologists but anesthetists are unavailable for routine procedures. Many of them are delegated on COVID-19 duty and only few are posted for emergency surgeries. He has been performing only caesarean procedures and normal deliveries besides emergency surgeries since March.

In St George’s hospital, an exclusive sex realignment facility was set up in 2017 and the waiting list of transgender and gender dysphoria patients who wants to undergo surgery is increasing. Assistant professor Dr Rajat Kapoor said that St George hospital has become a COVID centre, so all these surgeries are put on hold. Only emergency plastic surgery procedures are taken up.

As JJ hospital manages all non-COVID work of St George’s hospital, sex realignment procedures have not yet resumed. An orthopaedic surgeon from JJ hospital said that in the last week, he had to wait for almost 4 days to get an anesthetist for an emergency spine operation.

In July, government hospitals had resumed their normal OPDs and had also reopened non-COVID departments after four months. But due to the shortage of manpower and equipment, it has hampered non-COVID admissions. In Nair and Sion hospitals, all intensive care units (ICU) are reserved for COVID-19 patients. In Dr R N Cooper hospital, dialysis beds are also kept apart for COVID-19 patients. Patients suffering from other illnesses have to seek private hospital.

Arun Soneji has spent more than Rs 5 lakh till now on his sister Bina Soneji. Bina aged 43 years, who is suffering from brain haemorrhage, paralysis and also requires dialysis. She has been hospitalized thrice in the past two months. She is admitted in Shree Ganesha Multispecialty hospital’s ICU and the family has almost finished their money.

As the family inquired in Nair, Sion and Cooper hospitals, they either had no ICU or dialysis beds vacant for non-COVID patients. The family has started borrowing money from others for her treatment.

Dr R N Bharmal, Dean of Nair hospital, said that they will begin neurosurgery procedures soon. R N Cooper hospital Dean Dr Pinakin Gujjar said that their dialysis machines are with Seven Hills hospitals for COVID-19 patients. They don’t have neurosurgery facilitiesat present.

KEM hospital has almost 500 COVID-19 patients and 450 patients suffering from other ailments. The hospital sees around 2,000 patients in OPD visitsdaily, a drop from 8,000 before the lockdown was enforced.

Suresh Kakani, Additional Municipal Commissioner has directed Cooper hospital to keep aside two floors for COVID-19 patients. In Nair hospital, the OPD building is converted to admit only non-COVID patients.

Source: The Indian Express