Shortage of Rooms and waiting list

This season has been quite bad with lot many cases of Dengue,Malaria and all sorts of viral fever.All the hospital beds have been occupied and there has been shortage of beds in almost all the Gurgaon hospitals.There are many angles to this shortage or crisis of bed. Angle of patients……,Angle of doctors……and angle of hospital administration.

I as a gynaecologist with many patients in labour and with gynaecology operative cases would grumbe when informed by the front desk of their inability to provide the desired category of room to my patients. I would fight with them. The Ladies in labour come to the hospital for the ‘experience’ and they are also not happy with a crowded hospital and they want the single room they are entitled to as per their insurance. They feel cheated if they have been given a room which is double sharing or triple sharing room till the single room is vacated for them to be allocated their desired room and rightly so(After all they are paying for it). The payment is as per the room cap they are entitled too .Their complaint is but natural.
 I recently read a review on a blog to the same effect. The review said that the bills of a pregnant Lady were made to show some targets. They found the reception staff to be rude, which I doubt as I have seen them taking a lot of  misbehaviour, anger and very unkind words from anxious relatives day in and day out. We also should realize that the front desk staff is also over worked when there are so many discharges and admissions are happening round the clock. Hospital is making money but then they never said they were in the business for charity.Front desk staff don’t have any such targets as to inflate the bill. They are paid salaries and just do their job.They are not supposed to generate any revenue.Except for the Managers and HODs no one has to show any numbers or reach any targets,Rest of us work peacefully.

Another angle to this shortage of bed problem. A person who has come to the hospital as they are really unwell .A perspective is now of a mother whose child has dengue and is running 105 degree F temperature since last 3 days and hardly been  able to stand  or eat.He is acutely dehydrated and needs a hospital bed. This mother is me and the patient is my son……….and my fronk desk is helpless as they don’t have beds .I am upset and my front desk is upset too……..they like me and wish to find a bed for my son as soon as possible but how can they create a room?To me at that point of time his need to get admitted looked more important than the need of a pregnant mother who is there for an experience.She needs a bed but my son need a bed before him.That is how exactly the relatives of other sick patients must be feeling. As a mother ,I felt I damn care if the lady in labour is admitted or not but my sick son should be admitted .I just needed a bed. Luxury was the last thing in my mind.

Now coming to the hospital……..they do make money once patients are admitted .But they make much less money from a dengue patient occupying bed for a week than from a vaginal delivery patient in just 2 days.If the hospital was just for making money they would have just given preference to pregnant ladies and let sick serious Dengue patient go back and find ways to manage themselves.

Before writing a review it is important to understand the complete picture,my humble request to all the bloggers etc.Please just don’t write,Max Cheats…please elaborate and give evidences.Don't just presume.

Now another incident.I was constantly working since 8 am in the morning on last Saturday without even a pee break and with 101 degree fever.( Why was I working? For money……..as some of you would say. Yes for money but that was not the only reason. Suppose I get my OPD cancelled the same day, it will cause discomfort to you only when you get an unceremonious call from the hospital telling that I have blocked my OPD .And even if I am unwell and my patient is in labour,do I have the Liberty to say I am sick won’t take care of you at the end of nine months??)Someone was shouting outside my OPD around 4 pm.Came to know that an appointment patient had been waiting for 30 to 35 minuts and was getting restless.Husband  had called the duty manager and was blasting him with suggestions like lengthen the slots allocated to the patients if patients take more time than allocated .lessen the number of appointments then!! Simple….that person has shown his wisdom. Now there are few practical problems. Suppose you have 15 minutes appointment with the doctor.But you wish to talk to the doctor and understand the doctors advice and till you aren’t satisfied even if it takes 45 minutes you won’t mind even if you realize that you have taken much more than your share........………..if a doctor interrupts the doctor is labelled a money minded doctor who doesn't give enough time to the patient. .Should I be asking that female to leave me as 15 minutes are over?I will find it very rude!!Now if one patient has taken 45 minutes extra the OPD as a whole gets delayed by 45 minutes .Now who is at fault?You,me or front desk.In my opinion no one actually.

As far as decreasing the number of slots for appointment………….a BRIGHT idea as an individual patient. But there are quite some downside

That would mean I should see 2 patients in 1 hour. And in this manner the patients who have to come for follow ups will have a long waiting list of 6 to 7 months as in NHS.Are you willing for that?And I can’t survive if I work at a pace like to see 4 patients in a day.

I did try to make the couple understand why these delays.I hope they understood and took it positively,At 101 temp even I don’t feel like talking non stop to patients from 8am to 9pm with two high risk caesareans in between without any time for food or drink.
PLEASE USE  public forum sensibly know every aspect of the the topic covered by you and then only can it be a useful Max Hospital Feedback other wise it just comes across as a medium to vent out your frustration.