PGI trauma centre turns away many patients, allege kin
LUCKNOW The apex trauma centre of Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences was inaugurated by minister of health education Ashutosh Tandon on July 31, to facilitate care of critically ill patients.
But several attendants allege that more patients are returned from this centre than are admitted. From July 31 to November 31, the apex trauma centre has treated 649 patients out of which 79 have been given ventilator care. But critics say that a similar number of patients have been refused admission too. The attendant of a patient allegedly refused admission asked where would such critical patients go and might it not be too late by the time they were taken elsewhere.
On August 11, Ayushi 18, a resident of Amethi was brought here with serious injuries due to an accident but the doctors refused admission and asked her parents to take her to the trauma centre of King George’s Medical College. The battery of 20 doctors present on the occasion did not even give her primary treatment and as a result Ayushi died when she reached the KGMU trauma centre, alleged her kin.
“The doctors are not sensitive enough to understand the pain and agony of an accident victim, they are bothered about their own comfort,” said a relative of Ayushi .
On August 27, Mansi, 12,a resident of Fatehpur was brought to the trauma centre because of multiple fractures in joints due to an accident but she was refused admission.
The doctors said that no bed was available, though most of the beds in the apex trauma centre were empty, complained her relatives.
“Big speeches were made when the trauma centre was inaugurated. Promises were made to save lives but instead
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people are losing lives because doctors of the trauma centre don’t want to come out of their comfort zone or serve patients. They are here just for the sake of their jobs,” said Shiv Dulari. mother of Mansi who is yet to recover fully from her multiple hip fractures.
She added, “I have a bad experience of the PGI trauma centre. Is this what we call an apex trauma centre? Here the doctors must learn how to be sensitive and caring before getting appointment.”
To note, the trauma centre is fully equipped and staffed to provide care to patients suffering from traumatic injuries.
At present, the facility has 60 beds. By the end of the next year, the number of beds is expected to increased to 200.
Chief medical superintendent professor Amit Agarwal said , “It is wrong to say that the PGI trauma centre doctors are not sensitive, as we have catered to hundreds of patients in the past four months. In all, 649 patients have been treated out of which 69 have been given ventilation care and 104 have been under intensive observation. There may have been some valid reasons behind the refusal of admission to the hospital. We do not admit any patient after 24 hours of an accident . Sometimes private hospitals admit the patient for the sake of money and send the case to us when there is no hope for survival. In such conditions, these patients come and die after a few days but they occupy the bed of someone who can be saved. So we have decided to not admit any patient 24 hours after he met an accident .”
He said, “Some teething troubles may be there as the functioning of the trauma centre would take at least a year to reach its full potential. Let all the 250 beds get functional, then no patient would be returned . Presently the focus is on saving lives only.”