LAHORE – Lives of patients arriving at the Services Hospital’s Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) are in a complete jeopardy, as previous administrator of the SICU has retired and the ward is currently being run by young and inexperienced doctors, Pakistan Today has learnt.
The SCIU was running heedlessly, as more than four months has passed since SICU Incharge Dr Taifoor Gilani had retired. Presently, the ward was being managed by young and inexperienced doctors who were certainly not fit for handling such an important section of the hospital.
Patients, after being declared critically ill, were shifted to the intensive care unit meaning that their lives were under a serious threat. Patients, who had problems related to major body organs, such as heart, brain, lungs or kidneys,
were sent to this ward in order to save their lives.
The Services Hospital’s ICU was divided into two parts including the Medical Insensitive Care Unit (MICU) and the SICU. Dr Gilani, an anesthetic, was heading the SICU until he retired. Nowadays, his seat was vacant and the SICU was being looked after by junior and less experienced doctors, which posed a direct threat to lives of patients ending up in the SICU. According to sources, death rate of patients in the SICU was 90 percent, which clearly showed importance of the SICU in the hospital.
Foreign hospitals established a committee, which appointed heads of such important units and usually a critical care specialist was appointed to such a seat. A critical care specialist was a doctor who specialised in handling and managing patients who were declared critically ill.
The only doctor eligible for this post in the Services Hospital was Dr Kamran Cheema who specialised in critical care illness. Dr Cheema was presently incharge of the MICU at the same hospital and a foreign qualified doctor known for his competitiveness.
A senior surgeon of the same hospital, seeking anonymity, said that the conditions prevailing in the SICU were pathetic. He said that inexperience doctors posed a great threat to fragile lives of patients arriving at the SICU.
The doctor also named Dr Cheema as the best candidate for the vacant seat. He said that his patients were not being looked after properly after surgery, as less experienced doctors, working at the SICU, were not fit for the job.
The doctor said that young doctors of the SICU rejected advices of senior and experienced doctors, which was becoming a growing problem. He said that the SICU incharge’s seat be filled in as soon as possible by the Punjab government, which might save a lot of precious lives.
