Lone nurse for 60 beds in three wards at Civil Hospital in Jalandhar

Tribune News Service

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, January 31

A sole staff nurse attended to 60 beds (about 40 to 42 of which were filled) of three wards at the Civil Hospital here today and one of them was Gobinda, the sole survivor of the accident that took place on the Jalandhar-Amritsar road last night.

‘Patient checked by doctors once’

The hospital staff said Govinda, who suffered injuries after an Audi hit an e-rickshaw on Wednesday night, had been checked by doctors once and would shortly be administered IV (intra-venous) medicines.

Gobinda, who suffered injuries after an Audi hit an e-rickshaw, was admitted to the hospital last night after the accident. He was taken to the emergency ward from where he was shifted to the male surgical ward on the third floor after first aid.

‘We will look into it’

I’m not aware of the said accident victim at the hospital. However, usually the patients have at least some attendants. Attendants have to fill a form before the scan. The hospital has the best of facilities. This patient must not be that serious. However, we will look into it. Dr Geeta, Medical Superintendent, Civil Hospital, Jalandhar

Even after 20 hours of the accident, Gobinda, who is reported to have sustained a head injury, could not get head scan done till 5 pm today.

The staff deputed at the male surgical ward is also simultaneously responsible for the medico-legal cases (MLC) and orthopaedic wards, which collectively have 60 beds of which 42 were occupied this evening. One of these patients was Govinda.

With a blanket kept near his head and the sheet on the hospital mattress partly off, Gobinda lay in a dishevelled state without any warm bed covers. He was in the same soiled and blood-stained clothes that he was wearing last night. He had a canola on his hand and a bandage on his head. The staff said his blood and other tests had been conducted.

Two tablets lay on his bedside table still unopened. While Gobinda appeared heavily sedated, patients on neighbouring beds said it had been hours since he had been administered medicines.

While Govinda was admitted with a head injury, the hospital staff said his head scan hadn’t been conducted (until 5 pm on January 31) as there was no attendant with him.

Unable to speak properly, he responded with his eyes closed saying he was on a bike last night (police said there was no bike involved in the accident) and said no one from his home came to the hospital.

The hospital staff said Govinda had been checked by doctors once and would shortly be administered IV (intra-venous) medicines.

Notably, while all accident patients in the pre-Covid period used to be sent to the trauma ward, due to the trauma centre being converted into an isolation facility due to the Covid protocol, all injured and trauma patients began to be routed to the Civil Hospital emergency ward. From the emergency ward, these accident cases are sent to male/female medical, surgical and other wards.

However, the surgical wards lack oxygen supply, ventilators and other intensive care facilities available in the ICU at the trauma and fourth floor units at the Civil Hospital.

Medical Superintendent, Civil Hospital, Jalandhar, Dr Geeta said: “I’m not aware of the said accident victim at the hospital. However, usually patients have at least some attendants. They have to fill a form before the scan. Patients who are very serious are housed in the intensive care unit. The hospital has the best of facilities and surgeons who are adept at such exigencies. This patient must not be that serious. However, we will look into it.”

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