JJ hospital dean comes up with new diktats, docs term it as impractical

Medical students are not the only ones miffed with JJ Hospital and Grant Medical College dean Dr Ajay Chandanwale Doctors working at the hospital and the medical college are also sulking these days because of his diktats Highlyplaced sources within the hospital told midday that the dean issued an internal circular with orders that doctors say are inconveniencing and adversely impacting their working conditionsSources from within the hospital informed midday that Dr Chandawale issued an internal circular dated March 20 midday has a copy which runs into three pages and covers points discussed in a college council meeting held in the college premises on the same day at 3 pmDean Chandanwale has shut all gates except Gate Nos 8 and 9 because of the tensions between Pakistan and India following the Pulwama attackSome of the diktats given in the said circular according to the sulking doctors were just impractical and achieve nothing beyond putting unwarranted pressure tactics which will only cause inconvenience and adversely impact their working conditionsA senior doctor with the hospital told midday The diktats are impractical and will only risk the patients lives They only undermine the ability and work of resident doctors and unit heads Moreover it is not practical to keep counselling relatives of each and every patient The diktats need to be rectified immediately Speaking to midday while responding to allegations against him Dr Chandanwale has rubbished the claims stating that those who are cribbing are only doing so because I am trying to bring discipline to the medical college and the hospital at largeEver since some gates have been shut the police surgeon and all ambulances carrying dead bodies have to take the main gate 8 or 9 which is time consuming1 Shut the gatesGate 14 which connects the JJ hospital mortuary to shut along with all other gates except Gate 8 and 9 because of tensions between Pakistan and India following the Pulwama attackImpacts Citys police surgeon Dr SM Patil and relatives of the deceased who come to claim the bodies Earlier they could bypass the traffic at JJ signal and easily enter gate 14 through a service road adjacent to the Richardson and Cruddas lane but ever since the gate has been shut the police surgeon and all ambulances carrying dead bodies have to take the main gate 8 or 9 which is time consumingStatus Upset with this directive Dr Patil said Im only concerned about the inconvenience being faced by the families and relatives of the deceased I informed the dean that instead of shutting the gate he could deploy security guards and allow entry to those who have a valid identity card and ambulance but the request has not been accepted Dr Patil has now written to the JJ Marg police station asking the senior police inspector to intervene in the matter and get the gate openedShirish Gaikwad senior police inspector JJ Marg police station confirmed receiving the letter and said It is a fact that there had been instances in the past of theft and unwanted elements loitering in and around the college campus The dean directed that all gates other than 8 and 9 be shut and this has reduced the entry of unwanted elementsAsked about Dr Patils grievance he said The three of us had a meeting on Wednesday and discussed the pros and cons but for some reason both of them are sticking to their points It will get resolved soonDean says Dr Chandanwale said The decision to shut the gates was taken soon after the tension between India and Pakistan escalated and an alert was sounded Gate 14 was being misused by many and the entire service road connecting to the gate was used by bikers for rash and negligent driving which has now stoppedHe added Id told Dr Patil that both of us are serving the public And in the larger interest of maintaining discipline he should continue to come from the main gate 8 or 9 which would only take a few extra minutes2 PermissionsA committee for prisoners comprising six head of the departmentshas been formed and no prisoner will be admitted or discharged without their permissionImpacts Doctors at the hospital said that earlier resident doctors who are lecturers on daily rotation duty and the unit head would be consulted in case of any prisoner or convict being brought to the emergency ward They would decide on the admission and dischargeA doctor said The diktat says we need to approach the committee and only then get prisoners admitted without realising that there have been instances in the past where prisoners like Indrani Mukerjea the late Mustafa Dossa have received immediate treatment post admission after being brought to the hospital in the night hoursDean says Rubbishing the claim Dr Chandanwale clarified If a prisoner is brought to the hospital for medical care we expect the emergency doctors in consultation with the unit head to start on the immediate line of treatment Our priority is to save the life of the patients the committee for prisoners would be intimated about the same The next morning they will decide if the prisoner need to stay at the hospital for treatment or be dischargedDr Chandanwale said this committee was formed because In the past there have been instances where prisoners would spend more time at the hospital than in jail We need to stop such practices3 CommunicationSince the hospital was allegedly constantly receiving complaints from patients and their relatives about treating doctors not communicating with them about the patients condition or line of treatment resident doctors and unit heads were asked to communicate in detail and counsel such patients and relatives to clear their doubtsImpacts Doctors at the hospital said unit heads are usually providing their services to the hospital for a peanutamount of Rs 1500 a month which most of them are not paid regularly So it is practically impossible to keep counselling each patient Another doctor added Usually it is the resident doctor who communicates with relatives The unit head speaks to them in very few cases It is not practical to counsel each and every patientDean says Dr Chandanwale said Lack of communication leads to misunderstanding and if anything untoward happens the relatives remove their anger and frustration on the doctor and hospital It is in the larger interest of the patient and treating doctors to be more vocal The unit head has been asked to speak to the relatives once a week so that even the relatives are appraised about the exact line of treatment This will only help in forming a cordial relationship He added I am here to bring discipline and it is in the larger interest of the students and the hospital In the process of change there will be many who will be uncomfortable But in the long run they will understand that whatever Im doing is only for their goodOn Ambu bagsThe dean has said that patients who require ventilator support should not be sent back but instead be provided with Ambu bags while immediate treatment is started Doctors are upset because they say this would add burden on them as they will now have to keep pumping the bag because only theyve been trained to do so Dr Chandanwale said I understand Ambu bags cannot be a solution I have therefore stated that such serious patients should be stabilized at emergency ward and ambu bag should be provided while other arrangements are made to transport them to other hospitals It is only to save the patients lifeAlso ReadJJ short skirt row Dean has been harassing students since December 2018 says female studentCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates