Imagine working while standing in a room for three to four hours on a searing summer afternoon with only a fan. Forget beads of sweat, you would get drenched from perspiration.
Doctors at Osmania General Hospital (OGH) are performing surgeries in such sultry conditions in a few operation theatres (OT), only with support of a fan. The sweating becomes profuse when they have to perform long surgeries which last for three or more hours.
They fear that patients are at direct threat since they could catch infection if sweat drips into patients’ body part which is opened for surgery.
As a stop-gap arrangement, some of them are using gauzes and cotton swabs to make a sweat band and tie it around their forehead. Or, a staff member constantly clears their sweat.
The ACs are dysfunctional in two out of three OTs in Urology department located in Quli Qutb Shah Block. The situation was confirmed by visiting the hospital. And an AC is not working in Emergency Operation Theatres (EoT) where orthopaedic surgeries are performed, and insufficient in one more. Doctors said that since surgeries last for short time in Minor Operation Theatres (MoT), ACs are not required. The latter two OTs are located in out-patient block.
Orthopedicians have to wear LEAD aprons while performing surgeries to block radiation, on top of scrubs. Since it weighs around 5kgs., it results in more sweating.
“Out of three OTs in Urology Department, one is not being used because of issues with operation table. And AC is not working in one of the remaining two OTs. Patients should not be contracting new infections after coming to a hospital. But they are at the risk of it. Regardless of the situation, surgeons in orthopedic and urology departments are performing surgeries without any interruption,” said another source.
They have requested steps to be taken so that poor patients who opt OGH for medical services do not contract new infections.
OGH’s superintendent Dr B Nagender said that they are on the job of getting the ACs repaired. “Some of them are repaired. Some more will be fixed in a week’s time. We are conducting a special drive with RMOs for early repairs. Besides this, we are going to purchase over 50 coolers for patients,” Dr Nagender said.
