CUTTACK: Inadequate intensive care units (ICUs) at SCB Medical College and Hospital (SCB MCH) are severely affecting the treatment of critically ill patients.
Securing an ICU bed is said to be nearly impossible without the recommendation of influential persons such as senior government officials, MLAs, MPs, or personal connections with hospital authorities. As a result, critically ill patients and accident victims in need of urgent ICU care are often left helpless, with many dying due to the lack of availability, sources said.
“Critical patients coming to casualty, including poisoning and brain stroke cases, are unable to get ICU admission easily. More than 1,500 patients are being treated in the medicine department, which has a capacity of just 300 beds. Of them, over 200 are waiting for ICU admission, while the department has only 60 ICU beds,” said a senior specialist of the hospital, requesting anonymity.
According to the National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines, medical colleges must ensure that at least 10 per cent of their total beds are reserved as ICUs. SCB MCH has 2,200 sanctioned beds, which means there should be at least 220 ICU beds. However, the hospital currently has only 197 beds. The situation is worse when compared to the actual patient load, over 4,000 patients, nearly double the sanctioned strength, requiring at least 400 ICU beds.
Apart from the shortage, the ICUs are reportedly not being maintained as per NMC norms. They are not sanitised properly and suffer from severe staff shortage. With a lack of doctors, postgraduate trainees are managing ICUs, while the nursing strength remains far below prescribed standards.
SCB MCH registrar Subhas Chandra Ray admitted that the rising number of indoor patients has increased the problem of ICU availability for critical cases.