Karnal hospital short of superspecialists
Parveen Arora
Tribune News Service
Karnal, May 19
Patients are at the receiving end of a shortage of superspecialists at Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College and Hospital (KCGMC), as they are being referred to higher medical institutions for treatment.
As many as 12,936 patients have been referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, or the PGIMS, Rohtak, from 2015 to April 2019 from the KCGMCH. It was revealed in response to an RTI application filed by city resident Rajesh Sharma, who sought information regarding the number of patients referred to other hospitals. The reply says 2,877 patients were referred to other hospitals in 2015, 3,081 in 2016, 2,933 in 2017, 3,087 in 2018 and 958 in 2019 till April.
The KCGMCH was constructed at a cost of around Rs 650 crore, but it lacks superspecialists such as neurosurgeon, cardiologist and others. “Due to lack of suitable manpower in the hospital, serious patients have to be referred to other hospitals,” the RTI reply said.
Another fact came to light in the reply that 9,416 admitted patients had left the hospital without informing the authorities and without taking any medical advice in the last seven years. The rule says an admitted patient has to inform the authorities before leaving the hospital, but the hospital authorities did not pay any heed to it.
As many as 320 patients had left the hospital in 2012, 270 patients in 2013, 340 in 2014, 340 in 2015, and 860 in 2016. The hospital witnessed a sudden rise in the number of such patients in 2017, when 3,163 left the hospital without informing the authorities. In 2018, the number was 3,164 and by April this year, the number came down to 959 patients. As many as 2,935 patients lost their lives at the KCGMCH, the reply said.
Dr Surinder Kashyap, Director, KCGMCH, admitted to the shortage of superspecialists and said they try to arrange doctors from private hospitals.
RTI query reveals...
- An RTI query has brought out that 12,936 patients from the Karnal hospital were referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, or the PGIMS, Rohtak, from 2015 to April 2019
- The RTI reply also stated that 2,877 patients were referred to other hospitals in 2015, 3,081 in 2016, 2,933 in 2017, 3,087 in 2018 and 958 in 2019 till this April
