Saturday, April 19, 2014

In 8 yrs, SKIMS bed strength increases by 19%, patient rush 40%

Kashmir Reader: Srinagar: Saturday, April 19, 2014.
The lone tertiary care hospital in the Valley, SKIMS, has in the last eight years witnessed only 19 per cent increase in bed strength against 40 per cent surge in patient rush in the In Patient Department (IPD).
In 2005, the SKIMS’ IPD (main hospital) received 33,877 patients. The number increased to 48,353 in 2013. However, only 112 beds— from 550 in 2005 to 662 in 2013—were added during the eight year period.
The stagnation in bed strength was witnessed in trust hospital that runs under the aegis of SKIMS and where gynecological care is provided. Its bed strength remained stuck at 27 since 2005 while the patient rush increased by 12.5 percent till 2013; in 2005, the trust hospital received 2,881 patients in its IPD and the figure rose to 3,243 in 2013. The IPD of the SKIMS comprises general admitting wards for the Clinical Department, Intensive Care Units and other intermediate care areas.
These figures were revealed in reply to an RTI query.
The RTI revealed that in 2005 the Out Patient Department (OPD) in the main SKIMS hospital was 393,099 which jumped by 15 percent in 2013 touching 453,475.
The rush to the trust hospital increased by 39 per cent touching 73,890 patients in 2013; the figure stood at 53, 034 in 2005.
The Outpatient facility comprises a polyclinic where patients are screened and filtered for further assessment in the Referral Clinic.
The total bed strength of the SKIMS including trust hospital is 689. It was 577 in 2005.
The RTI reply also said that the hospital has 23 invasive ventilators and eight non-invasive ventilators in different ICUs.