For want of a hospital bed, the life of a three-year-old now hangs in balance. Emergency or not, finding a bed at civic-run hospitals is a Himalayan task for patients and their relatives, as they are shunted around by authorities for admission. Toddler Risabh Mourya had suffered serious head injuries after falling from the third floor of his home in Khar on the morning of June 13 but he had to wait for more than 12 hours before getting a bed in the emergency ward of the King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital.
On Tuesday, Risabh had been playing with the other children in a gallery by the staircase when he slipped and fell, sustaining grievous head and other injuries. He was immediately rushed to Bhabha Hospital in Bandra, where basic treatment was started but he required a CT scan and neurosurgery care, which the hospital was unable to provide. His parents were asked to shift their child to KEM hospital for further treatment.
Treatment not available at hospital
“The boy was brought to hospital in an unconscious state with epilepsy, which requires neurosurgery, which is not available at the hospital. The decision to shift him was taken after informing the parents. The resident medical officer deployed in the emergency ward of KEM was informed about the urgent transfer of a patient to their hospital, who required immediate medical treatment. After the paperwork was done, the child was transferred to KEM hospital,” said a hospital doctor on condition of anonymity.
Risabh’s father, Chandan Mourya, who works as a carpenter in Mumbai for the last three to four years had never thought he would see his child in the intensive care unit of a hospital. Mourya said, for the lack of facilities at Bhabha Hospital, they had transferred Rishabh to KEM Hospital by 12.30 pm. But when they reached the emergency ward, they were not given any bed despite the hospital having been informed about the patient’s condition. They had to wait for hours to get admission before Risabh received treatment.
“We were told that my child would be immediately admitted but when we reached the hospital, it was total chaos as doctors said there were no beds. We were asked to wait despite beds being available. We had to take help from friends in Bhiwandi. It was only after their intervention that my son was admitted to the ICU and treatment was started. It took more than 12 hours for my son to get admission, despite being a priority case,” he said.
Condition critical
According to doctors, Rishabh’s condition is critical and he is being continuously monitored. However, despite repeated calls, KEM Hospital Dean Dr Sangeeta Rawat was not reachable. Mourya said his son’s condition was critical but there was no one to inform him what was going on. “The doctors told me he has been in a coma since yesterday (Tuesday) and I am scared whether or not he will get proper treatment, after all I faced before admitting him,” he added.
A senior doctor from the hospital said on condition of anonymity that it was not the first case where a patient had to wait for hours. The number of patients getting to emergency wards has increased and it was not possible to accommodate everyone, despite which they had managed to do so, the doctor said. Every family wanted their patient to be seen first, which could not be done, the doctor explained.
“But in this case, I don’t know how there was a delay, despite prior information of the transfer. The more the child was made to wait, the worse his condition got. The hospital administration should look into the matter. This is the state of affairs despite MBAs being hired for patient management,” he said.
