‘Unnecessary’ referral of patients from districts continue to put a burden on men and machinery at the tertiary-care hospitals, doctors said.
They said that despite repeated directives from the government including the latest on November 15, the referrals go unchecked.
“We receive dozens of patients on a daily basis who can be managed at sub-district and district hospitals easily but they are being referred here,” said a doctor at SMHS Hospital.
He admitted there is a difference in facilities available at district and tertiary-care hospitals but around 30 to 50 percent of patients are being referred unnecessarily.
“Though the hospital is the valley’s largest tertiary-care Gynaecology and Obstetrics facility, that doesn’t mean you have to refer every case here to put pressure on limited resources,” doctors at Lal Ded Hospital, told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).
They said they receive 20 to 40 cases every day with only 50 percent being genuine ones. The rest can be easily managed at primary health centres, sub-district and district hospitals, the doctors said.
Similarly, a top doctor at the Bone and Joints hospital told KNO that around 90 percent of the patients visiting OPD and referred to the hospital can be easily managed at peripheral hospitals.
“Due to the heavy rush of patients, the deserving one get little attention,” he added.
The doctors suggested the government to further improve the infrastructure at peripherals so that the doctors would not have any excuse to refer patients unnecessarily.
The government had ordered an audit of all referrals from district-level hospitals to tertiary-care hospitals in order to optimise the manpower available in peripheries and patient services across the healthcare system.
“There must be monitoring committees in place in all hospitals which must have the power to take the call whether to refer the patient or not, otherwise this issue won’t get resolved,” the doctors said.
Amid this, the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir has directed Chief Medical Officers and Medical Superintendents to conduct night rounds of hospitals so as to avoid unnecessary referrals and submit a list of patients referred to tertiary care hospitals on fortnightly basis along with reasons of referral.
“In light of the directions given by the Chief Secretary, UT J&K, it is impressed upon all the Chief Medical Officers / Medical Superintendents of Kashmir Division to take night rounds of all the hospitals falling under their jurisdiction & to check that unnecessary referrals are not being forwarded to the Tertiary Care Hospitals, in order to avoid rush of patients in the Tertiary Care Hospitals.” Reads the circular issued by DHSK, a copy of which lies with KNO.
“Besides, it is also enjoined upon them to submit the list of patients being referred to the Tertiary Care Hospitals on fortnightly basis with complete details of the patients & reasons for referral,” it stated—(KNO)