Unlock effect: Govt hospitals report rise in trauma cases, bed shortage

Within a few days of lockdown relaxations in the State, the non-COVID emergency rooms at government hospitals are flooded with cases of road traffic accidents, injuries, assault, etc. 

While there were only two or three cases of injury in a day for the past month, such trauma cases have increased manifold in the past few days and thus, additional staff and beds need to be added, say doctors. 

As Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital, Omandurar, and other private hospitals have become COVID-special hospitals in the city, other government facilities are bearing the burden, particularly Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. 

“A total of 250 CT scans were taken on the first day of lockdown relaxation and 180 on the next day. There are at least 22 to 25 trauma cases, including drunk driving and road traffic accidents, every day at RGGGH,” said dean Dr E Theranirajan. 

Elective surgeries were not being done at government hospitals due to the pandemic but with an increase in trauma cases, the general surgery department is getting overburdened. 

“Trauma cases in general surgery increased in past one week. There are more traffic accidents with head injuries and limb injuries,” said S Vishnu, a medico at the general surgery department at a government hospital in the city. 

Vishnu added that the available beds and resources have to be increased to ensure non-COVID emergency cases are dealt with care. 

Government hospitals need to increase non-COVID beds and dedicated staff as the burden has fallen on the medicos and limited available resources. “The Stanley Medical College and Hospital is restarting two general blocks that were seeing COVID cases to make beds available for casualty cases. The staff from COVID duty from general medicine department will be posted on non-COVID duty post-quarantine,” said dean Dr P Balaji. 

The casualty block that functioned in the general medicine department at Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital currently is being expanded to accommodate more patients as emergency cases increase daily. 

“From about 5 pm to midnight, there are about 16 trauma cases in the emergency, including cases of assault, street fights, road traffic accidents and drunk driving accidents,” said Dr R Shanthimalar, dean of Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital.