THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A month after the fire accident, the surgical and trauma ICUs, two of the several ICUs, in the super-speciality block of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College remain closed, drawing criticism from doctors over the temporary facilities.
Doctors pointed out that the delay in reopening the ICUs has resulted in a shortage of beds and highlighted the poor conditions in the ad hoc ICU, where cloth partitions are being used. Concerns over patient safety prompted the head of the general surgery department to formally raise the issue with the medical college superintendent.
The blaze had broken out on March 17 in the surgical and trauma ICUs of the multi super-specialty department. Patients were immediately shifted to makeshift ICUs in wards 7 and 8. Some requiring ventilator support were later moved to the medical ICU in an adjacent block. In addition, cardiothoracic surgeries scheduled in the block’s operation theatre were suspended.
Meanwhile, hospital authorities have assured that the ICUs will be made operational soon. Medical college principal Dr P K Jabbar said that procedures for electrical inspectorate approval after the fire accident were delayed. “The trauma ICU will be reopened by Tuesday. The surgical ICU will take some more time -- maybe by next weekend,” he said, after a review meeting held on Friday. He added that patients had not suffered inconvenience due to the temporary closure.
Superintendent Dr C G Jayachandran also confirmed that the trauma ICU works were completed quickly once the approval was granted by the second week of April. He noted that surgical ICU repairs were taking longer because certain components, such as boards and oxygen supply lines, had to be custom-made.
“We have submitted the estimates and hope to finish by next week,” he said. He added that approval from the PWD and electrical inspectorate was mandatory after the accident. “We cannot make any changes in the room as a probe is ongoing regarding the fire accident,” he said. Both ICUs have a bed capacity of 16 each. The superintendent highlighted that other ICUs, including the cardiothoracic ICU, were made functional immediately after the fire accident.