Covid-19: With no transport, patients discharged from Chandigarh hospitals stranded

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | ByAmanjeet Singh Salyal, Chandigarh

Mar 27, 2020 01:01 AM IST

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With a curfew in place, patients discharged from UT hospitals are stranded at hospitals in the absence of transport facilities. According to official estimates from Chandigarh’s Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), the 50 or so patients from other states, who are being discharged daily, need to go home.

With a curfew in place, patients discharged from UT hospitals are stranded at hospitals in the absence of transport facilities.

According to official estimates from Chandigarh’s Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), the 50 or so patients from other states, who are being discharged daily, need to go home. Without a means to leave, they are currently being put up at the sarais in the hospitals.

Avtar Singh, a father of a five-year old patient from Patiala, who is admitted in Chandigarh’s Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, said that since his child was in critical care unit, a vigil was needed to be maintained round the clock. “My brother and I used to take turns every 24 hours to stay with my child. But with the curfew, it is impossible for me to go home and then come back again. The government must make some provision for people like us,” Avtar said.

Officials said that in a review meeting held by UT administration, the PGI administration raised this issue.

The PGI has already taken measures to stop the inflow of patients to the hospital to discourage crowd accumulation. Around 10,000 patients visit the PGI daily to avail its OPD services. However, OPD services have now been suspended till further orders. Also, no scheduled surgeries are being performed from March 21, and only patients of emergency areas are being attended to.

When contacted PGI’s deputy director (administration), Kumar Gaurav Dhawan, said that, “We are trying to help the out station dischargded patients by arranging the 108 facility. I have also flagged the issue with authorities concerned to cooperate. The discharge card/slip given by PGI should help avoid any inconvenience in this regard.”

Arun Kumar Gupta, UT’s health secretary, said Chandigarh residents were being dropped at their residences. “Meanwhile chief secretaries of adjoining states have been requested to take care of their residents and to have them dropped off to their respective homes,” he said.