Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai
Mumbai, Mar 8: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has introduced strict new guidelines for civic hospitals, making it mandatory for doctors to examine and begin treatment for patients arriving at emergency departments within 30 minutes.
The directive was issued after several complaints surfaced about patients waiting for long periods in casualty wards or being transferred to other hospitals without receiving initial treatment.
According to the new protocol, every patient arriving at the casualty or emergency department must first be examined by the medical officer on duty. After the initial check-up, the patient’s condition will be further assessed by the concerned registrar or postgraduate assistant medical officer.
The BMC has made it clear that patients should not be made to wait beyond 30 minutes before treatment begins. The civic administration has also warned that strict action will be taken against doctors or hospital staff who fail to comply with the new guidelines.
The circular issued by the BMC health department states that critically ill patients must first be stabilised before being sent for diagnostic tests or transferred to another hospital. Investigations such as X-ray, ultrasound, CT scan or MRI should only be conducted after the patient’s condition has been stabilised.
The new rules also specify that trainee doctors cannot treat patients independently and must work under the supervision of a senior doctor.
Clear guidelines have also been introduced for handling medico-legal cases (MLC). Hospital staff must maintain detailed records including the patient’s name, age, address, MLC number and the details of the person who brought the patient to the hospital. Casualty medical officers are also required to record their duty timings and handover details in the MLC register.
The BMC has also laid down strict procedures for transferring patients to other hospitals. Before any transfer takes place, the patient must be registered and provided initial treatment. A detailed transfer note mentioning the patient’s medical history, vital signs, provisional diagnosis, treatment given and the reason for transfer must also be prepared.
Patients can only be shifted through ambulances equipped with oxygen, essential medicines and resuscitation equipment, and must be accompanied by a house officer, registrar or postgraduate medical officer.
The decision follows several recent incidents highlighting lapses in civic hospitals. In one such case, a 62-year-old woman with a serious head injury had to be shifted from Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Municipal Hospital to Dr R N Cooper Hospital after the CT scan facility at the former hospital was found to be non-functional.
Following such incidents, the BMC health department introduced the stricter emergency protocols to ensure that patients receive timely treatment and are not left waiting in casualty wards.