Work to upgrade ICU under way at Karnal Civil Hospital

Parveen Arora

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Karnal, July 7

With an aim to strengthen healthcare services, the work to upgrade the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Civil Hospital here is underway. The Karnal Civil Hospital is among the six district hospitals where the ICU facilities are being inaugurated or improved to ensure that patients get good care.

Earlier, the ICU was facing a shortage of doctors. Besides, the lack of infrastructure was a major issue. Only two doctors were appointed to treat the patients. An official said though some patients were admitted to the ICU, but it could not be made fully operational.

According to information, after the completion of the work, the district Civil Hospital will have a six-bed high dependency unit (HDU) and six-bed ICU.

Emphasising the importance of the upgradation of the ICU, Civil Surgeon Dr Krishan Kumar said the unit would be fully functional by July 31.

“At present, the ICU is being renovated, with false ceiling and glass windows being installed. The unit will be fully functional by the end of this month,” he added.

For the smooth functioning of the ICU, the medical staff are undergoing comprehensive training at Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College. An intensivist, five general medical officers, 20 staff nurses and five operation theatre attendants have been assigned duties at the ICU. The training of the first and second batches will conclude on July 9 and July 15, respectively, said the Civil Surgeon.

He said their priority was to ensure the well-being of the patients and provide them access to top-notch medical services, for which some additional equipment were being purchased.

“The ICU will be on the second floor of the building. It will provide specialised care to patients suffering from severe respiratory illness, and who need trauma and post-operative care,” he added.

The Civil Surgeon said once the ICU became functional, it would ensure round-the-clock monitoring and multidisciplinary care for the patients. He said with this, the mortality rate would come down.