NEW DELHI: Even a year after the idea was first floated and convening of meetings regarding it, the proposal to have a referral system between city hospitals to resolve the issue of patients being forced to run from pillar to post in search of a bed is yet to find concrete form.
In the absence of such a system, patients are forced to move from one hospital to another in search of a bed. In the latest such incident, a 14-year-old girl who was suffering from blood cancer lost her life after she failed to get admitted despite approaching multiple hospitals.
The issue has been flagged on various platforms including a G20 meeting. It was even endorsed by the Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) earlier this year. However, the system has not been implemented. According to sources, the matter remains pending with the health department, with no confirmation from it. AI IMS New Delhi had planned to create a system of two-way referral of patients with other hospitals in Delhi in October last year.
Its director Dr M Srinivas had called the heads of 14 government hospitals for a meeting on October 29, 2022, to formulate the policy. However, even 14 months later, it’s yet to see the light of the day. “The objective was to develop a referral system by creating better coordination among government hospitals so that no hospital sends emergency patients arbitrarily and serious patients don’t have to wander around various hospitals for treatment.
Before referring the patient, the referring hospital would call another hospital and ensure the availability of a bed for the patient so that the patient does not have to suffer,” an AIIMS official coordinating the project explained. “We have appealed to Delhi health department officials several times to implement it, but till now no satisfactory response has been received,” he added.
In March 2023, the AIIMS director had written to the Delhi health secretary urging the government to set up a referral system for emergency patients. In August 2023, the director raised the issue before DGHS officials in a training program organized for medical officers in connection with the G20 summit held at AIIMS.
A study by Safdarjung Hospital has revealed that every fifth child referred to the hospital dies due to lack of timely medical care. A plan was formulated in March last year to onboard two health facilities–Indira Gandhi Hospital run by Delhi government and NDMC’s Charak Palika—for training in the referral system by experts from AIIMS to escalate the overall capacity of emergency treatment. However, it didn’t materialise.
Every fifth child dies due to lack of medical care:
A study by Safdarjung Hospital has revealed that every fifth child referred to the hospital dies due to a lack of timely medical care. In the absence of such a system, patients are forced to move from one hospital to another in search of a bed. A plan was formulated in March last year to onboard two health facilities–Indira Gandhi Hospital run by the Delhi government and NDMC’s Charak Palika—for training in the referral system by experts from AIIMS to escalate the overall capacity of emergency treatment.
