Mumbai: BMC-run Nair hospital gets new HDU ward

New HDU ward at Nair hospital. Pic/Suraj Pandey

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation-run Nair hospital got a new High Dependency Unit (HDU) on Thursday which has increased the bed capacity of the hospital.

The new ward will accommodate more patients who need emergency attention and the constant pressure of managing patients will be reduced, the hospital management told midday.

The BMC-run hospitals are often overburdened with patients causing bed shortages. "Currently, we have eight intensive critical care unit (ICCU) beds for heart patients who need immediate attention. But now, we have 19 patients in the ward. We are using trolleys which consume less space than beds. We have placed them in the ward in such a manner that we can accommodate more patients who need urgent treatment. We cannot ask cardiac patients to sleep on the floor. Every day, we get around 4 to 5 heart attack patients, 10 to 12 angiographies are done, out of which 25 percent need angioplasty. So, one can imagine the burden and the number of beds required every day," one of the doctors at Nair hospital said.

Dr Ajay Chaurasia, Cardiologist and head of the department said, "there is no doubt that the number of patients is increasing year after year. Though we have limited beds, we can't refuse a patient who needs emergency attention. Whether we have a bed or not, our job is to save the life the patient's life. We can't refuse to treat patients because they come from economically weaker sections. So, we adjust them on the trolley."
Dr Chaurasia further said that with the help of MCGM authorities and Mahanagar Gas Ltd who donated Rs 1.79 crore, the hospital got its ward with a capacity of 12 beds.

"Instead of keeping angiography and angioplasty patients in the ICCU (Intensive Coronary Care Unit), we will shift them to the HDU ward where all the facilities are available. If a person comes in an emergency, he will be admitted to the ICCU.