All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi director Dr M Srinivas has written a letter to the Delhi health secretary to consider the proposal for implementing a cross-referral system for emergency patients.
Dr Srinivas said that the shortage of beds at the AIIMS emergency medicine department could lead to severe consequences, including a high mortality risk and morbidity.
“As you are aware, the emergency medicine department at AIIMS is overcrowded and we are facing a shortage of beds. This situation can lead to severe consequences, including high mortality risk and morbidity. To address this issue, I propose establishing a referral system that would allow emergency patients to be directed to the most appropriate healthcare facility for their needs,” said Dr Srinivas in a letter written on Monday.
The letter followed Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena’s meeting on Friday with various stakeholders and issued instructions to evolve a formal system for easy referral of patients between the AIIMS and other public hospitals in Delhi, officials at the Raj Niwas said.
According to the officials, Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka and New Delhi Municipal Council’s Charak Palika Hospital will be paired with the AIIMS as part of the pilot project starting in April. Gradually, other government hospitals and healthcare centres will be roped in and developed as partner institutions to cater to the local population.
Under this system, the emergency department at the AIIMS would triage, assess the severity of the patient’s condition and determine the level of care required.
Patients who do not require immediate care or who do not require treatment in a tertiary care hospital would then be referred to a secondary-level care hospital.
Dr Srinivas said the referral system would be a forward and backward one. Patients requiring a tertiary level of care can be referred to the AIIMS from other hospitals and patients who do not require immediate care would be referred to secondary-level care hospitals.
“There would be some challenges to implementing this system. For example, it would require coordination between emergency departments. However, I believe these challenges can be overcome with proper planning and coordination. A team of doctors from the AIIMS can visit the designated hospitals and do a gap analysis,” he said.
The AIIMS is also willing to train doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers to develop emergency care systems.
“The benefits are clear, and the potential to improve the quality of care for emergency patients is significant,” the letter added further.
Source: IndianExpress
