Elective surgeries take a beating in COVID-19 chaos

With a third extension to the nationwide lockdown and most hospitals running out of ICU beds preplanned and elective surgeries have been put on hold for a long time now This has left thousands of patients across the country in a lurch with the ones undergoing nonCOVID treatmentsurgery coughing up an additional cost This is for the PPE gears and other measures that private hospitals takeDombivli resident Chandra Wilson is one such patient The 63yearold was to get operated for a lump in her left back below the shoulder blade at Jupiter hospital on March 26 but it was indefinitely postponed amid the crisis even as Wilson continues to live in painI never sensed the presence of a lump until recently when I started experiencing pain After visiting a number of doctors and undergoing some medical examinations it turned out to be a noncancerous lump However the surgery is a must as the size of the lump is growing said Wilson adding I will now have to repeat the tests before the next surgery date Until then I will have to bear with the painThe situation is also grim for Vile Parles Rajeshwari Sagar who underwent surgery for her uterine cancer on March 19 at Tata hospital in Parel The 74yearold was advised radiotherapy postoperation but the lack of transport facility has put that on hold Her 81yearold husband Mukund said My wife is doing much better post the surgery But we were supposed to start her therapy before she got discharged but it has been postponed nowLow turnout for elective proceduresDr Ketan Vagolkar professor of surgery at DY Patil medical college in Navi Mumbai said Usually I perform three to four elective surgeries every week which have been put on a complete hold due to COVID Also those undergoing surgery in this scenario have to undergo a mandatory COVID test and bear the expenses of PPE used by the doctors and hospital staff However it will not affect patients with an insurance coverWhile emergency surgeries are taking place elective surgeries were suspended in the initial three lockdowns to provide beds for COVID patients With lockdown 40 however most nonCOVID hospitals are open for elective surgical procedures Dr Vagolkar said The patient turnout however is poor for elective surgeries One reason is the fear of contracting COVID during their stay in the hospital and another reason being the lack of transport facilities One more issue is that of delays in the processing of insurance approval due to shortage of staff he addedDr Vagolkar however said that stringent testing procedures were in place to ensure the safety of patients as well as hospital staff25 to 30 per cent hike in billsDr Ajay Chaughule a senior cardiothoracic surgeon said We used to get patients with a history of chest pain uneasiness breathing etc based on which we could advise some planned interventions like a bypass surgery etc But owing to the extended lockdown we have to suggest angioplasty as an immediate remedial measure instead of a bypass for the patients benefitThe availability of ICU beds he said is also a challenge Those who have emergencies end up shelling out almost 25 to 30 per cent extra towards hospital bills explained Dr ChaughuleOverhaul in hospital ACs mustProfessor Pradeep Bhosale director Arthritis and Joint replacement surgeon at Nanavati super specialty hospital too had to postpone many of his planned hip and joint replacement surgeries in the last two monthsThe medical association and the government have specified that only emergency cases like fractures trauma and accidents will be dealt with across hospitals as Mumbai is a COVID hotspot said Dr Bhosale who conducts 40 to 50 hip and knee replacements surgeries in a month He now mostly attends to patients over phone calls and suggests them medication for pain reliefThe biggest challenge for surgeons he said is to ensure no infection to their patients postsurgery A major overhaul of the centralised air conditioning system within the operation theatres ICUs and wards will have to be considered Hospitals need to ensure that central air conditioning units are no longer used to keep all forms of virus and infections from spreading2530Average hike in hospital bills amid COVID pandemicCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news