The number of patients in the respiratory medicine ward at R G Kar Medical College in Kolkata has drastically decreased as a result of a tragic event that happened three weeks ago. Before, the ward—which was well-known for its high patient occupancy and 24-hour medical care—was always busy, seeing between 70 and 80 patients every day. That being said, since the horrifying rape and killing of a 31-year-old Postgraduate Trainee (PGT) physician on August 9, the ward’s atmosphere has radically changed.
The ward’s call duty hours coincided with the crime, which prompted a vigorous response from the medical community. Justice has been agitated for by junior doctors in particular, and this has had a major effect on how the hospital runs. As a result, as of Thursday, there were just five patients left on the ward. Senior doctors are the only ones left to care for patients after the junior doctors decided to quit in protest, causing a severe drop.
The respiratory section was 90% occupied and running at almost full capacity before the tragedy. The department, which is housed on the third level of the emergency facility, contains about 80 beds total, including respiratory care units and high-dependency unit (HDU) beds. The prolonged turmoil and staffing shortages have had a significant impact on the department’s capacity to care for patients. To lessen the strain on the ward following the tragedy, patients who were in comparatively stable condition were released.
The absence of Professor Arunabha Dutta Chowdhury, the head of the department, who was transferred after being newly appointed just eight days prior to the catastrophe, has made the situation worse. Five faculty members, two resident medical officers (RMOs), 28 PGT doctors, house staff, interns, and other staff members assisted the department prior to the incident. A group of PGTs and nurses oversaw the night shifts, and a resident doctor in his final year was on call for any emergency. On the night of the incident, the PGT who was slain was in charge of her team.
At the moment, four resident physicians who worked alongside the victim are routinely questioned by detectives and have taken polygraph examinations. Further limitations on patient admissions have resulted from this ongoing research, limiting them to individuals who need immediate care. The lack of PGTs in certain departments has made it harder and harder to continue providing the entire range of patient care services. As a result, the pulmonary medicine ward continues to function with a lower staffing level and receives little utilization, which is indicative of the wider disturbance brought about by the unfortunate incident.
SOURCE :
TIMES OF INDIA
