Doctors and nurses are finding it difficult to cope with a sudden spurt in burns cases at the capital's premier heal hub, RIMS, where lack of beds and ACs, coupled with the soaring summer temperature, has left patients fuming.
Hospital sources claimed that there had been a constant rise in the number of patients flooding the burn care unit of RIMS since April 11. And given the slow rate of recuperation in such cases, authorities are facing problems in accommodating new patients everyday.
As on Tuesday, there were 25 patients as against the 18 beds in the ward. Of them, five children, below the age of 15, along with two others, have been laid on the floor of the ward's corridor.
"Till Friday (April 15) we had 28 patients in the ward. On Saturday, the figure swelled to 35 with referral of seven new cases from different districts. The same day, two patients passed away. Two each succumbed to their injuries on Sunday and Monday while four patients left without any information anyone. The figure has now come down to 25," said a nurse, not willing to be named.
She added that "For children, even 10 to 15 per cent burns can be critical while for adults it is 40 per cent. And infection is the biggest problem. Skin is the first barrier to prevent infection but when it is removed, the risk of infection increases," he said.
On the shortage of beds at the burn care unit where patients are left on the floor, he said: "This is the most pathetic situation where we find ourselves helpless. I have given strict instructions to clean the unit thrice a day because patients have higher chances of getting infected. However, as far as the number of beds is concerned, I do not see any solution except praying that people stay safe."
Lack of fans and ACs is the another major problem facing the ward. There are four ACs, of which one is non-functional while the others can never be trusted. Also, there is no fan in the corridor.
Mala Devi, who was lying in the corridor with around 40 per cent burns on Tuesday, said: "I wish there was a fan here. I am unable to tolerate the pain anymore."
A resident of Hazaribagh, Mala (35) sustained injuries while cooking on Friday and was referred to RIMS the next day.
