DOHA: Patients occupying hospital beds long after they are discharged is putting huge stress on various hospitals under Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC). The hospitals are facing acute bed shortages and have long waiting lists of those waiting to be admitted.
The HMC official revealed statistics about in-patients who refuse to leave the hospital once the treatment is over. One fifth of the total beds available in the Hamad General hospital (HGH) are occupied by these patients.
"HGH has a bed capacity of 600," said Dr Yousef K Al Maslamani, Chief of Staff, HGH. "However, 120 of these beds are occupied by patients whose medical treatment is over long back. It is high time that these patients are moved to other facilities were expert medical care is not necessary. All they need is follow-up. He should vacate for another patient," he said
The story is worse with other hospitals. At Rumailah Hospital, 180 out of 230 old-age or geriatric patients are fit to go home. 28 paediatric beds and 12 female beds have also been occupied by similar patients. The hospitals have 15 stable coma cases in which patient's stay at hospital or home will not make any difference. Many adult patients often refuse to shift from ICUs to normal rooms once the critical stage is over. The reasons for this can be as trivial as unavailability of private rooms.
In the case of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) the scenario is shocking, with many babies left to themselves. "Many children born with congenital diseases are abandoned by the families. The hospital staff take care of these babies," said Abdulmajid Basheer Abdulmajid, Director of legal Affairs, HMC.
"In many road-traffic accidents (RTA) and other labour related accident cases, these people stay at the hospital until their legal issues are cleared and the compensation is obtained. Since these are court issues, these patients occupy the bed for years," said Dr Wafaa Alya Zeedi, Assistant Chairperson, Physical Medicine and rehabilitation Department.
The effect of these long term stay by a few is felt on the public as there is a huge backlog in cases waiting to be admitted. "People have to realise the fact that healthcare is the right of all in the country. One extra day of stay in hospital can at times cause critical problems. Each day 25 patients in the emergency are waiting for a bed to vacate. If the situation gets worse, we will be forced to discharge these people by force," said Abdulmajid.
"Qatar provides almost free medical care for all. Each bed at HMC cost QR4,300 per day. Some people are exploiting these services and harming the society," said Dr Zeedi.
By Huda N V
© The Peninsula 2009
