NEW DELHI: The referral mechanism of patients between major city hospitals led by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is in the final stage of the roll-out. The premier health institute will test the waters for this scheme with two hospitals in April before its full implementation.
Officials said the pilot project will start at Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka and Charak Palika in Motibagh. The outcomes from the initiative will be analysed before taking other hospitals on board, they added.
Gradually, other government hospitals and healthcare centres will be roped in and developed as partner institutes to cater to the local population in different localities of the city.
According to officials, the AIIMS would provide these hospitals with expertise in critical care so that patients from the top central hospital could be referred to these hospitals in case of unavailability of beds or after triaging has been completed as per the needs of the patient.
Officials said that the aim is to improve access to critical care through developing super-specialty hospitals in different localities of the city and also reduce the burden on AIIMS which is reeling under the acute shortage of beds.
“Optimal utilization of hospital beds is the need of the hour. The vacant beds in other government hospitals can be utilized for the referral of critical but stable patients from AIIMS,” a senior official said.
“The new system will also ensure that patients who require primary and secondary healthcare services go to the other hospitals, leaving ample room for the chronic and critically ill patients to get specialized treatment at the AIIMS. Also, this will prevent inconvenience to the patients who have to shuttle between different hospitals looking for beds that often result in fatalities during transit,” he added.
The development has come after the AIIMS director met with 13 hospitals, in October last year, run by the Centre, Delhi Government, and civic corporations to formulate the referral mechanism for patients coming to their emergency.
The meeting, led by the AIIMS director, was attended by chiefs from GB Pant, RML, Safdarjung, LNJP Hospital, Charak Palika, Acharya Shree Bhikshu Hospital, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Hospital, Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya, LHMC and Kalawati Saran Child Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay, and ILBS Hospital.
Shortage of beds at AIIMS
Only 6% of 866 critical cases AIIMS receives in a day get admission
The hospital is equipped with a total of 3,204 beds
Latest estimates show the hospital receives a daily footfall of 10,000 patients