NEW DELHI: Sunday’s fire is likely to lead authorities to suspend admissions to the trauma department of the AIIMS Trauma Centre here, the biggest such facility in the country, for over a month, hospital officials familiar with developments said on Monday.
Several surgeries scheduled for Monday were postponed due to the non-functional Operation Theatre (OT) adjacent to the site of the fire, they said.Every day 25-30 emergency surgeries on an average are performed at the five major operation theatres in the facility, named Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre.
“We cannot admit anyone one new because of the non-functional OT complex. Patients who suffer trauma injuries or accidents come here and are emergency cases, mostly requiring surgery. Four to five emergency surgeries scheduled for Monday, that could not wait, are being performed at the main AIIMS facility. Rest of the surgeries, based on priority, would be performed over the next few days,” said one of the officials cited above.
Luckily, the outpatient department of the facility is functional and patients are being treated.Those unaware of the fire and had turned up at the facility are now being referred elsewhere.Though the extent of the damage has not yet been ascertained, the engineering team which inspected it has estimated the repair will take at least two months.
“The first floor was to be renovated to make five more OTs and one which was functional was dismantled couple of months back. That might be started again for the time being,” a senior doctor said.