SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Society of Consultant Doctors (JKSCD) has expressed concern about vital aspects of patient care as the current lockdown continues, piticularly in wake of many elective surguriers, turning into emergencies.
President, JKSCD Dr Maajed Jehangeer has appealed the Government to allow resumption of surgical treatment in a phased manner as per standard operating procedures in government hospitals.
While appreciating the recent order in which normal functioning of private hospitals, diagnostic centres, labs and dental clinics has been allowed to resume, Dr Jehangeer stressed on the need to do the same in the government sector as well. “A proportionately large number of patients will be unable to afford private surgical treatment as such, in the interest of patient care and for the benefit of our society, semi-urgent surgeries in the government sector should be started in the first phase under proper scientific precautions and constant monitoring of resultant outcomes to reduce the risks of community transmission of COVID-19. Measures like mandatory COVID-19 diagnostic testing of the surgical patient, adherence to social distancing, restricting attendant visit to hospitals and wearing of proper personal protective equipment (PPE) by hospital /theatre staff should be adhered to in letter and spirit.
Elaborating further, Dr Jehangeer said, “All those surgeries which were previously elective are now turning into semi-emergencies and emergencies. We have seen lot of patients of cholelithiasis (gallstones) who, under normal circumstances were supposed to undergo elective laparoscopic surgery presenting to hospitals as cases of pancreatitis, cholangitis, obstructive jaundice and sepsis. There is a disturbing observation wherein more and more patients with gallstones are getting admitted to hospitals with acute cholecystitis (inflammation of gallbladder), mucocele (mucus in gallbladder), pyocele (pus in gallbladder) and acute cholangitis – – all potentially serious complications. Nowadays, most patients with acute appendicitis are being managed conservatively and this lands some of them into complications like perforation, complicated appendicular lump formation among others, which is a bad clinical end-point. Anal fissures and haemorrhoids are presenting as thrombosed or prolapsed masses with abscess and fistula formation. Elective hernias are presenting in obstruction or incarceration. What complicates matters further is that for these emergencies and semi- emergencies patients need recurrent admissions in hospitals like SMHS and SKIMS for many days which further exposes them to the risk of COVID-19. Moreover, such patients need to undergo further procedures and investigations like ERCP, CECT, MRCP which could have been avoided. ”
To mitigate patient suffering and minimise their chances of exposure to COVID-19, JKSCD requests Government to consider allowing, in the first instance, semi-urgent surgical procedures in Jammu and Kashmir with instructions to hospitals to follow proper scientific precautions and recommended standard operating procedures in all cases.

KR Desk