The Hans India: Hyderabad: Thursday,
October 27, 2016.
Have you been
wondering how many deaths took place due to dengue this year? You will not get
an answer as none of the hospitals in the city share data with the District
Medical and Health Office (DM&HO). While government hospitals have medical
and records section, maintaining records is the last thing that the department does.
In a reply to
an RTI query, the Osmania General Hospital (OGH) states that they do not
maintain medical records. The same is the case with Gandhi Hospital, Fever
Hospital, Niloufer and several others. Dr A Gopal Kishan who retired as
Superintendent of OGH in 1994 says, “The practice in government hospitals is to
destroy records after 5-10 years as there is no space.”
Though there
is a post of a statistical assistant whose duty is to maintain records, he is
hardly seen doing his job. Dr Suresh, President, Osmania Medical College
Doctors Forum says, “Previously case sheets used to be kept in racks, now the
practice is discontinued. Also statistical assistants are moved from one
department to another when there is shortage of staff. There is no concerted
effort to collect and collate data.”
During
outbreak of epidemics, an epidemiologist is appointed temporarily by the Directorate
of Health who collects data and reports to the Central government. Experts feel
that data ought to be collected at every stage and it has to be made compulsory
by the Ministry of Health at the central level and Department of Health at the
provincial.
But why are
hospitals not reporting deaths? Lack of space, funds and manpower are reasons
that officials give for not maintaining records. A senior official of
DM&HO, Hyderabad said, “Three months back a memo was sent to the hospitals
to share data as it is mandatory.
Since then
about 25 hospitals started sharing but then it has to be uniform and done
consistently.” In spite of an Indian Epidemic Act that mandates the sharing of
data, hospitals in the city fail to do so.
“There is a
system of reporting with form P, L form and S form for presumptive diagnosis,
lab data and syndrome surveillance that emanates from community medicine but
there is no authentic data on scores of deaths that occur due to several
diseases.
Hospitals do
not feel the need to improve health indicators and until this attitude
prevails, there is no hope,” feels Dr Gopal Kishan.
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