MARGAO
Why are patients from the South Goa district hospital referred to the Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim?
The reasons are varied and different. Before May 30, 2024, patients were referred to the GMC, Bambolim for the want of an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) facility. A nine-bed ICU is now in place at the district hospital.
A glance at the reasons cited for referring patients to the GMC or any private hospitals by the South district hospital shows that patients were shifted in some cases to seek opinions relating to urology and neurology.
Even orthopaedic patients are referred to the GMC due to the non-availability of implants. The district hospital does not have an MRI scanner, and patients requiring MRI facilities are referred to the GMC.
A further glance at the reasons provided in the last Session of the Goa Legislative Assembly shows that patients from the gynaecology departments, besides the ENT department, are also referred to the GMC.
These include patients with a high risk of anaesthesia; malignancies of the ear, nose and throat; chronic kidney disease and acute renal failure patients needing dialysis or further evaluation by nephrologists; cerebrovascular accident (strokes) and complications like intra-cerebral bleeding for CT Scan and evaluation by a neurosurgeon.
Pneumonia patients who may need chronic obstructive lung disease and ventilator support; complicated cases of pyrexia (fever) where diagnosis needs further tests like bone marrow, and liver biopsy or may need ICU care and ventilator support are also referred to other hospitals.
Data reveals rising referral rate
Referral of patients to the Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim have not come down after the commissioning of the South Goa district hospital.
On the contrary, there’s been an increase in the number of patients referred to the GMC, Bambolim from the district hospital every year since 2020 till now. According to the data on referrals placed on the floor of the House in the last session of the Goa Legislative Assembly, there's a gradual increase in patients referred to the GMC from the district hospital. In 2020, the number of patients referred to GMC from the district hospital was pegged at around 2992, which went up to 3717 in 2021.
The rise in the referrals continued in 2022 with the total referrals to the GMC pegged at 3885 before the figure jumped to 4442 referrals in 2023. The total number of referrals up to June 2024 is pegged at around 2389, taking the total number of referrals from the district hospital to GMC to 17425.
