At Karnal civil hospital, no surgery for patients with hepatitis B & C, HIV

BOX: Dates for general surgery full till March 5

*All the appointments for general surgery at the government-run civil hospital are filled till March 5. If someone wants to get general surgery done here, he will have to wait for more than two weeks.

*The shortage of surgeon and anaesthetist is a reason behind it. The hospital is running without regular general surgeon. The authorities have deputed a general surgeon on deputation from CHC Gharaunda.

*The hospital has only two anaesthetists — one senior consultant and one medical officer — who have to look after the caesarean deliveries also. The medical officer is on leave for two months.

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, February 23

Surinder Kumar, a patient from Tikri Kailash village who has been diagnosed with hepatitis-B, has been denied operation of hernia at the district civil hospital citing the infection. He has been referred to another hospital.

Similarly, a 26-year-old pregnant woman who was advised caesarean operation has been referred to another hospital from the civil hospital due to her HIV-positive status.

They are among those patients who have been referred from the district hospital merely due to their infective status. This is discriminatory and against all prescribed norms of the Health Department, said sources in the department.

“I have been denied operation of hernia at the civil hospital just because I am infected with hepatitis-B,” said Surinder, adding that he had to go to another hospital and would have to get all the tests done again.

Sources maintained that ever since March 2017, the restarting of the civil hospital in the city, almost all the patients infected with hepatitis C and B and HIV infection had been referred to other hospitals.

On an average, 5-7 patients with these infections are referred every month. An employee said that they were afraid of getting infected during the operation of such patients. “There is a need to take some extra precaution while operating on such patients. But instead of taking precautions, such patients are referred to other hospitals,” he added.

Dr Ashwani Kumar Ahuja, Civil Surgeon, admitted that these operations should be conducted at the hospital, but they do not have sufficient equipment as well as manpower. “There is a need for isolated OT for operating upon such patients. The manpower of the district hospital is not as per the recommendation for a 200-bedded hospital. As a result, some problems are being faced. The post of general surgeon at the district hospital is lying vacant for the past year. We are managing surgical OPDs and operation work by deputing a general surgeon from CHC Gharaunda,” he added.