No neurosurgeon at emergency of Karnal hospitals

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, September 7

Amid tall claims of the government of providing better health facilities to the general public, government-run emergency services at Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College and Hospital (KCGMCH) and Trauma Centre of Civil Hospital are running without neurosurgeon, forcing patients to go to private hospitals.

Both institutes do not have the sanctioned posts of neurosurgeon and referring patients with head injury is a common phenomenon at both centres. However, the KCGMCH has claimed to have tied up with four private neurosurgeons for the last three months, but still patients are being referred to other institutes.

The data for the last three months of the KCGMCH shows that of the 234 patients with head injury, 99 were referred to other hospitals. All 12 patients with head injury at the Trauma Centre were referred in the absence of general surgeon and neurosurgeon. “We do not have any sanctioned post of neurosurgeon, but have engaged four private neurosurgeons on alternative weeks for the last three months,” said Dr Surinder Kashyap, Director, KCGMCH.

“We have started the Trauma Centre recently. We do not have any neurosurgeon or general surgeon. In the absence of the both, we have no option but to refer patients with serious head injury,” said Dr Piyush Sharma, PMO, Civil Hospital.

Sumita Singh, two-time former MLA and Congress leader, said, “If both hospitals have the facility of neurosurgeon, precious time to save the life of accident victim can be saved.”