PUBLIC hospitals in the capital discharged many of their patients in last couple of days as many of the doctors and nurses would be on leave on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, one of the major festivals of the Muslims, as per a report of a local daily.
Several patients and their relatives alleged that they were induced to leave the hospital as there would be a scarcity of doctors and nurses during the three-day Eid holidays beginning from Sunday. Hospital authorities, however, claimed that they discharged only those patients who got well and needed no emergency interventions. They said that many patients had left the hospitals on their own to celebrate the Eid festival with their family and friends.
Dhaka Medical College Hospital, the country’s biggest hospital, discharged about 1,000 patients on Thursday morning to early Friday, said a record keeper at the hospital. The hospital is usually crowded with about 3,800 to 4,000 patients against the capacity of 2,600, but the hospital record keepers said on Friday afternoon there were about 2,500 patients as many others were already discharged.
Other major hospitals like National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedic Rehabilitation, Dhaka Shishu Hospital and Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital also discharged a large number of patients on Thursday and Friday.
It is perfectly natural for patients to be discharged if no major anomalies are found in their medical reports and health. However the discharge of almost a quarter of the patients ahead of Eid holidays can look suspicious – if it is not a regular occurrence. It is quite alright for doctors to take leave ahead of a major holiday such as Eid since they work the year round. But the need for doctors to take a holiday must be balanced against the need for patients to get proper and timely medical care.
And this care for the patients must take precedence. While we certainly don’t want overworked and irate doctors and nurses looking after critical care patients, there must be some substitute mechanism in place to ensure that timely care is provided to patients during Eid times. Perhaps we can utilize doctors who get holidays at another part of the year, or rotate holidays to ensure that all doctors are available. Public hospitals could also bring in doctors from other parts of the country, or from private hospitals by paying them fees. All of these mechanisms would be more than adequate to ensure that patients get the timely help that they need during Eid holidays.
Several patients and their relatives alleged that they were induced to leave the hospital as there would be a scarcity of doctors and nurses during the three-day Eid holidays beginning from Sunday. Hospital authorities, however, claimed that they discharged only those patients who got well and needed no emergency interventions. They said that many patients had left the hospitals on their own to celebrate the Eid festival with their family and friends.
Dhaka Medical College Hospital, the country’s biggest hospital, discharged about 1,000 patients on Thursday morning to early Friday, said a record keeper at the hospital. The hospital is usually crowded with about 3,800 to 4,000 patients against the capacity of 2,600, but the hospital record keepers said on Friday afternoon there were about 2,500 patients as many others were already discharged.
Other major hospitals like National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedic Rehabilitation, Dhaka Shishu Hospital and Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital also discharged a large number of patients on Thursday and Friday.
It is perfectly natural for patients to be discharged if no major anomalies are found in their medical reports and health. However the discharge of almost a quarter of the patients ahead of Eid holidays can look suspicious – if it is not a regular occurrence. It is quite alright for doctors to take leave ahead of a major holiday such as Eid since they work the year round. But the need for doctors to take a holiday must be balanced against the need for patients to get proper and timely medical care.
And this care for the patients must take precedence. While we certainly don’t want overworked and irate doctors and nurses looking after critical care patients, there must be some substitute mechanism in place to ensure that timely care is provided to patients during Eid times. Perhaps we can utilize doctors who get holidays at another part of the year, or rotate holidays to ensure that all doctors are available. Public hospitals could also bring in doctors from other parts of the country, or from private hospitals by paying them fees. All of these mechanisms would be more than adequate to ensure that patients get the timely help that they need during Eid holidays.
