Work to make ICU operational at Civil Hospital to start soon

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 17

Work for setting up of the intensive care unit (ICU) at Civil Hospital has started seeing light of the day.

A team of Health Department officials, including Dr Hitinder Kaur, Director, Health Services, today visited the hospital. Experts from the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) were also present at the hospital to take stock of the situation.

Will reduce referral rate

In the absence of an intensive care unit on the premises, seven to eight patients have to be referred from the Civil Hospital to other hospitals every day. The referral rate will decrease once the ICU becomes operational at the Civil Hospital.

The isolation ward that has been set up at the first floor will be converted into an ICU. An assessment of the staff was also done and a rough draft was prepared regarding the required infrastructure and staff for making the ICU functional.

In the absence of an intensive care unit on the premises, seven to eight patients have to be referred from the Civil Hospital to other hospitals every day. The referral rate will decrease once the ICU becomes operational at the Civil Hospital.

During a recent visit to the hospital, Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh had announced that the ICU would soon be made functional at the hospital.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Medical Council has summoned 14 doctors of the civil hospital regarding the incident of a patient’s death after falling from a stretcher on August 27.

The summoned doctors will appear before the inquiry committee on September 20. The Chief Secretary had sent the inquiry report of the Deputy Commissioner to the Punjab Medical Council to take necessary action in this regard.

The report was also sent to the Punjab Nurses Registration Association and two staff nurses, who had already been suspended by the department, had appeared before the association and recorded their statements.