Avinash Azad
JAMMU, Apr 3: Embarrassed and cornered over high mortality rate in the Government Medical College Hospital, the 'premier' health institution of the region, which is as high as a whopping nine patients a day, the hospital administration has taken up an exercise of death audit, but , in a bid to hide their inefficiency and professional incompetence , the hospital authorities are conducting this crucial audit in entirety rather than separately for each department. According to figures, every 100th patient dies in the 900 bedded Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) Jammu, taking the average death toll to 9 per day.
Well placed sources in GMCH told Early Times that the instead of separate census, a combined death audit is being conducted by the hospital authorities to shirk their responsibility. "The GMCH conducts death audit for Ortho and Surgery department only, but same is also was be conducted separately at medicine department which is not being done", sources informed, adding that on an average 265 patents die every month." Between April 2012-March 2013 numbers of deaths were 2542 at GMCH, the same has mounted, 2413 in 11 months i.e. April 2013- February 2014, in GMCH Jammu.
"If department wise audit is to be conducted, the hospital authorities have to fix responsibility of Head of Department and other senior doctors for deaths, who usually evade their responsibilities", he said, adding that cause of death was maintained for only MLC cases, while the hospital has no record of cause of death of non-MLC cases. Sources further said that death audit, an important part of the functioning of any hospital, is the exercise in which one or more committees of senior hospital doctors, sit down together to analyse the circumstances that lead to the deaths of patients. "Death audit of every patient who dies in a Government hospital is essential. The health department's move was to ascertain the cause of death of the patient", sources maintained, adding that same was not being properly implemented.
He said that the reason behind conducting the death audit was to monitor whether there was any negligence in treating the patient. Similarly, civil surgeons and CMHOs were instructed to conduct clinical audit in the Government hospitals. During this audit treatment given to critically ill patients would be analysed. The analysis motive was to identify whether the patient was being treated according to the guidelines or not.
Months Deaths in Deaths in
2013-14 2012-13
Apr 174 176
May 215 201
Jun 197 193
Jul 217 221
Aug 238 206
Sep 219 232
Oct 244 252
Nov 227 245
Dec 226 200
Jan 250 232
Feb 206 200
March NA 184
Total 2413 2542 |
