City’s non-covid patients suffer as doctors still kept on Covid duty

90% beds vacant at Covid-19 jumbo centres, Sevenhills Hospital; medical practice, education hit, say doctors

MUMBAI: While there has been a gradual fall in the number of Covid-19 patients at civic-run tertiary hospitals, the footfall of non-covid patients has increased by almost 80%. However, a large number of resident doctors continue to be stationed at Covid-19 jumbo centres and Seven Hills Hospital, where almost 90% of the beds are vacant. Medical students say this is leading to a severe shortage of doctors at major civic-run hospitals and affecting the quality of treatment.

At the start of the pandemic in March 2020, hundreds of resident doctors King Edward Memorial (KEM), BYL Nair, Dr RN Cooper and Lokmanya Tilak General hospitals were deputed at Covid-19 jumbo centres and Seven Hills Hospital. During the early months of the pandemic, the footfall of noncovid-19 patients had reduced to almost 10%. Consequently, the distribution of manpower didn’t pose any problems. However, 10 months down the line and with the state announcing measures to gradually lessen restrictions on public movement, major hospitals have started receiving a large number of non-covid patients. As a result, resident doctors are working extra-long hours, leading to exhaustion.

“With relaxation in the lockdown, we are getting many serious patients who couldn’t reach hospitals earlier. They need more attention. But due to shortage of staff, we aren’t able to provide timely treatment,” said Dr Arun Ghule, president of KEM Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD).

Parel-based KEM Hospital, the biggest civic-run hospital, gets around 4,000 patients in its out-patient department (OPD) daily. Under instructions of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the hospital has stationed almost 50 of its resident doctors at Nesco Covid Jumbo centre, in Goregaon, and Seven Hills Hospital, in Marol.

Similarly, Sion Hospital, which received around 1,500 OPD patients daily before March, has stationed almost 100 of its resident doctors at various jumbo centres.

Resident doctors said they are no longer required at the Covid-19 centres since the number of patients has come down significantly in recent months. They also said their medical practice and education is being affected. “Now, the number of patients to outside hospitals has reduced to a locally-manageable level, and the workload at KEM Hospital has increased to more than the pre-pandemic situation. Due to this, we aren’t able to perform our basic educational activities which is the main purpose of our PG course,” reads the letter sent by MARD KEM on Thursday to the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER).

Sion Hospital has also approached its management to address the same issue. “There has been an almost 80% rise in the footfall of non-covid patients. We are working 14-24 hours daily for their treatment. Earlier, if we could attend to a patient within an hour, it now takes us almost two hours due to the manpower crunch,” said a member of MARD, Sion Hospital.

When asked about the students stationed at Covid-19 centres, additional municipal commissioner Suresh Kakani said, “All the students are made to work for around 15-30 days. Also, they should also gain experience of treating Covid-19 patients. It will help them to gain first-hand experience as a doctor.”

The civic-run tertiary hospitals are likely to face a further shortfall of doctors as many final years postgraduate students will go on study leave from February. “We really hope that the hospitals solve this issue before we go on our study leaves as our final exam is scheduled in May,” said another doctor from Nair Hospital which has stationed 10 doctors at Seven Hills Hospital.