Workload piles up as 2 maternity centres in Srinagar converted into COVID19 Hospitals
With two maternity centres in Srinagar turned into COVID19 Hospitals and lack of round-the clock maternity services in peripheries, increased patient rush at Lal Ded Hospital is making social distancing difficult. Amidst lockdown and OPD services of all the hospitals closing down, Lal Ded Hospital, Kashmir’s only tertiary care maternity hospital, is abuzz with patients and their attendants. Medical superintendent Dr Shabir Siddiqui said that over 100 admissions are made everyday at the hospital. This, he said, is more than what the administration had expected when they closed down OPDs. “We have stopped all routine surgeries and we had expected to bring down our load of admissions,” he said. However, that was not to be as two main maternity centres in Srinagar, JLNM Hospital and SKIMS Medical College Hospital were turned into COVD19 Hospitals, making these facilities inaccessible for the hundreds of women who had registered there for prenatal care, delivery and antenatal care. Moreover, Prof Farhat Jabeen, head department of gynaecology and obstetrics at Government Medical College Srinagar said, the hospital continues to get patients from peripheries, referrals that she termed “unjustified”. “A normal delivery can be catered to at a district hospital. Why that patient should be sent to us if there is no complication?” she asked. She said there was a dire need to stop unnecessary referrals from peripheral hospitals amidst COVID19 epidemic. Prof Jabeen said 70 deliveries take place at the hospital on an average every day, a number she wishes could go down, given there are round-the clock secondary care hospitals. “We are putting lives at risk. We need to decongest as much as possible and for that we need to stop referring everyone to LD Hospital,” she said. Dr Shabir Siddiqui said many measures had been put in place to decongest the hospital. However, a doctor working at the facility said the rush of attendants and the load of patients made social distancing a far-fetched expectation. “Our labour rooms are so full even amidst COVID19 risk that sometimes, even now, women are sharing beds. This needs immediate attention,” she said. Prof Jabeen appealed that people to stop visiting hospitals for routine check-ups. In a message to expecting mothers, she said, “By coming to hospital, you might be at risk. If you have no complication and are early in pregnancy, a visit may not be immediately required.” However, since there is no helpline for expecting mothers, many of the hospital visits are made by women for routine check-ups, a doctor said. “Sometimes, there is just a query. Even for that, a patient comes to hospital,” the doctor said. Dr Siddiqui said arrangements were being made to start a helpline in the hospital. “It would start soon,” he informed.
