PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Following the directions of the Health secretary R Rajesh Kumar, the administration of the Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) hospital has made changes in the non-obligatory referral cases of patients. The Health Department has recently implemented standard operating procedure (SOP) aimed at reducing unnecessary referrals from government hospitals.
Kumar emphasised that patients will no longer be referred from district and sub-district hospitals to medical college hospitals and larger facilities without a valid medical justification. Following the instructions of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, efforts are being made to ensure that all patients receive initial treatment and specialist opinions at the district level. This reduction in unnecessary referrals is intended to alleviate pressure on resources and facilitate timely and appropriate care for patients.
Providing an update on the status of referral cases at GDMC hospital, deputy medical superintendent Dr NS Bisht stated that following the Health secretary’s directions, modifications have been implemented regarding patient referrals. He informed that earlier, junior doctors could easily refer patients to other hospitals, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh.
However, due to the recent guidelines, the hospital administration has now restricted junior doctors from making referrals independently. Senior doctors will now look after any referral cases of patients. Senior doctors will assess the patients’ condition and the hospital’s medical superintendent will personally review the referral cases. Based on this evaluation, the medical superintendent of GDMC hospital will determine whether the case should be referred or not.
Bisht stated that with these changes, non-obligation cases will no longer be referred to other hospitals. He said that GDMC hospital referred an average of 50 cases to other facilities each month. This situation is attributed to inadequate resources. For instance, although the hospital has expanded its ICU capacity, the patient volume still exceeds this increase, leading to some patients being redirected to other hospitals, he said.
Additionally, he informed about plans to increase the number of beds in the emergency department.
