BENGALURU: The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Nimhans) has been denying treatment to patients over the last few weeks citing unavailability of beds and asking attendants to shift patients to other hospitals.
On December 6 night, a 15-year-old boy was referred by Mandya District Hospital doctors to Nimhans for emergency treatment of mental stroke. But the Nimhans faculty denied him treatment citing unavailability of ventilator beds.
The family had initially paid an admission fee of Rs 30,000, apart from the ambulance charges from Mandya to Bengaluru. The boy’s father, Satish, a farmer, said: “I cannot afford expensive treatment at private hospitals. But now I have spent Rs 1.5 lakh in two days and am trying to shift my son to another hospital where I can afford treatment.”
‘Emergency dept full almost daily at Nimhans’
This is not the only case. In another incident, a senior citizen who suffered brain haemorrhage and needed immediate surgery was also denied treatment at Nimhans for the same reason. A doctor from Nimhans, seeking anonymity, told TNIE: “The emergency department is full almost everyday due to which patients are sent back. All the cases that come here are critical in nature and need emergency treatment since other hospitals do not have the expertise which we have. But we do not have the infrastructure. So the government should strengthen the secondary healthcare system to reduce our burden.”
Dr Muralidharan, Medical Superintendent, Nimhans, said: “The institute is a tertiary care hospital and cannot admit every patient who comes. We prioritise patients who need specialised care and depending on the intensity of the case, we decide which cases needs more assistance. In the process, some patients are left out.”
Dr Muralidharan, however, added that the institute provides consultation to every patient and recommends admission to other government hospitals when cases are not very serious. He also said that the daily footfall at Nimhans had increased overtime and currently the hospital receives around 2,000 people on a daily basis.
The hospital has 1,096 beds, including 44 ventilator beds, Dr Muralidharan said. On the issue of shortage of beds, he said they do have sufficient beds and can only increase if there is willingness to increase the human resources as well. Nimhans is well-equipped to cater to people. The issue arises when people end up visiting the centre for ailments that are not even treated here, Dr Muralidharan explained.