Kerala: Resident doctors cry for help

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Widespread resentment prevails among resident doctors over the growing physical assaults on their colleagues in different parts of the state. The latest incident took place in Thrissur the other day when an ortho resident doctor came under attack, bringing into sharp focus the lack of security for the junior doctors who form the backbone of medical college patient care set up. Soon after arrival in hospital, patients are first seen by resident doctors at the Acute Care Room (ACR). Here the preliminary examination is carried out which include BP, pulse and stability check. After that, the patient is taken to the doctors concerned.

In the event of patients coming with bleeding, fracture, deep cut injuries and acute pain, they are taken care of by multiple departments. Ideally, medical colleges should have medical officers (MOs) of the level of assistant professors and associate professors for surgery, ortho and medicine to supervise the resident doctors, but in most hospitals, their responsibilities are being discharged by the resident doctors owing to shortage of people at that level. Apart from staff shortage, the casualty departments are also affected by the lack of necessary facilities.

Most medical college hospitals don’t have the facility of scanning in the evening and night hours. It is difficult to get a whole abdomen scan done for patients who come with acute stomach pain which could be associated with appendicitis, ulcer, kidney stone or gallstone. Resident doctors say the government needs to take certain urgent steps to prevent the attacks on doctors and hospital staff. The authorities should ensure that only one bystander or at the most two bystanders are allowed in along with a patient.  Overcrowding in casualty often results in chaotic conditions and violence.

The other immediate step required is to have a trained doctor to handle ultrasound scans during odd hours especially after 6 pm in casualty. The resident doctors say if the creation of post is a problem, then doctors may be taken on contract considering the emergency requirement. Police aid posts attached to medical college casualty needs to be strengthened further to check the growing attacks on doctors and medical staff. Meanwhile, most of the norms laid down in Residency Manual for the resident doctors are not being adhered to in medical college hospitals.