Burden of patients on Civil and Referral Hospitals

Lokmat News Network

Nashik, OCT 7

The District Civil Hospital and the Referral Hospital in Nashik are seeing an influx of patients from three to four districts. With the increasing number of OPD cases, the waiting time for patients has increased, and there might be a shortage of medicines in the near future. The waiting period for sonography is up to a month at the District Civil Hospital. Films required for CT scans and X-ray machines are not available at the Referral Hospital.

The District Civil Hospital , under the jurisdiction of the Public Health Department, has 540 beds, but the number of patients visiting the hospital for admission are much higher. As more than 3,000 OPD patients visit the hospital everyday, there is immense pressure on the entire healthcare system.

Currently, the Civil Hospital has a stock of medicines that can last for a month. However, it is difficult to say whether this stock will be sufficient considering the increasing number of patients.

The Emergency Department in this hospital has a high patient load. There is a significant waiting time for sonography. Moreover, there has been a shortage of films required for CT scans. One of the CT scan machines is non-operational, causing inconvenience to citizens. In the OPD, patients are given medicines for only three days. It has also been reported that there is a shortage of Vitamin C tablets and a few other medicines.

The Referral Hospital provides treatment for heart diseases, urinary tract problems, and cancer. However, due to the shortage of essential medicines here, patients have to buy these tablets from outside. Approximately, 500 to 600 patients visit the OPD of the Referral Hospital everyday. While the number of patients has increased in both these hospitals, the staff is facing difficulty in managing them. Both these hospitals need more manpower.