PUDUCHERRY: Proper treatment has been given to the patient admitted in JIPMER after suffering a road traffic accident, said JIPMER Director Rakesh Agarwal while seeking cooperation from people in extending treatment to both covid and non-covid patients.
JIPMER Director Dr. Rakesh Agarwal in a statement said that on Saturday evening, a group of 75-100 persons disturbed patient care in the Emergency Medical Services Division of JIPMER. The group was agitated about the treatment of a man, who had been admitted on 20th of April, following a road-traffic accident.
The man was evaluated on the same day with all the necessary investigations and was operated upon by a team of orthopedic and cardiovascular surgeons around midnight that day to repair a bone fracture and injury to the main artery of one leg said the Director.
However, the next day, the blood supply to the injured leg was again found to be low, necessitating repeat emergency surgery with the repair of the artery using a vein graft taken from the opposite leg.
Despite best efforts, when the blood supply to the injured leg continued to be insufficient, the family was explained that amputation may be needed in the future if the blood supply did not improve. Following this, a large crowd gathered. They threatened the treating surgeons and other doctors on emergency duty and left only late in the night after intervention from the police.
This led to disruption of the emergency services in the hospital from 6.30 PM to late night, at a time when the Institute is trying its best to provide specialized services to critically ill patients for both Covid and for non-Covid diseases, said the Director.
Referring to some reports circulating in social media that the patient had been operated on the wrong leg and that this had placed the patient at risk of amputation, the Director said that it was is incorrect. The sutures on the opposite limb are at the site from where the vein was taken for grafting of the injured artery, he explained.
The Director also refuted posts on social media indicating that JIPMER has over 2000 beds, but is providing care for only around 200 Covid patients, keeping the remaining beds empty.
"As of date, JIPMER has around 1250 seriously-ill non-Covid patients admitted in various specialties. In addition, it has dedicated 269 beds for Covid services – these include 55 intensive care unit beds, each with a dedicated high-end ventilator, and 214 beds, each of which has a piped oxygen supply", said the Director.
JIPMER is preferentially admitting very sick patients needing multi-disciplinary care, and referring stable Covid patients either to home care or to other Covid hospitals. It is continuing to receive a large number of patients with Covid or non-Covid diseases, who are referred from major hospitals in Puducherry and neighboring states, for highly specialized care, he said.
Its emergency services are running in full swing. In addition, over 3000 patients are being attended to by teleconsultation every day. All this is being maintained despite high demand on manpower for Covid services, and with some doctors, nurses, and other healthcare personnel being unavailable because of Covid infection in them or their family members, he added.
With the recent surge in Covid cases, there are numerous requests and demands for preferential treatment and admission for Covid and non-Covid services. In this time of crisis and limited resources, the Institute is striving to provide all its patient's appropriate treatment, guided only by the need as determined by the seriousness of the medical condition, without any preference of any kind.
The Institute does encourage the treating doctors in other hospitals to communicate with doctors in JIPMER before shifting a patient, to ensure that appropriate facilities are available. For such patients, beds are also blocked in advance when necessary. However, no other form of referrals are entertained and no special preferences are given., he said
JIPMER and its health care workers are under tremendous stress due to the rapid rise in Covid cases, and consequent disruption in the regular functioning of some of its facilities. The Institute requests members of the public and the press to kindly understand the current difficult situation, and to help it and its staff in continuing the services as best as possible, added the Director.
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