DMCH Emergency: No running for tests anymore

Shohag Chowdhury was admitted to the emergency unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) with injuries sustained from a road accident last month. There, he was prescribed a number of blood tests, ultrasound and an X-ray by a doctor.

Despite being in a critical condition, the 35-year-old had to go to different labs which were all located far from ward-1 -- where he was admitted.

“He was being carried on a gurney to different sides of the hospital. We had to move from one corner to another at least four times,” said his brother Mohammad Nesar.

“It would have been easier if the services were available at a single spot because carrying a critical patient is risky,” he said.

A patient being moved for tests. Photo: Rashed Shumon

Shohag's case is not an isolated one.

Patients often face such hassles as pathological tests and radiological tests (X-ray, radiography, ultrasounds, CT scans, MRI etc) are done in separate units located away from the emergency wards.

Considering the situation, DMCH authorities have taken an initiative to set up all the test equipment under one roof, said Brig General AKM Nasir Uddin, director of DMCH.

“The new unit will be launched tomorrow [today]. It will initially function with 80 staffers although at least 300 people are needed to run it,” Nasir said, adding, “We will raise the manpower to 150 soon.”

Currently the radiological tests are done on the northern side of the hospital about 200 metres away from the emergency wards.

Blood and pathology tests are done in one corner while blood typing and cross-matching are done on the other side of the five-storey emergency building, also known as the “new building”.

An operation theatre is located on the second floor of the building while the post-anaesthesia care unit is on the first floor.

“We are bringing all facilities under one roof so that patients do not need to wander around. This kills time and worsens their condition,” Nasir said.

Describing how the “full-fledged modern emergency service” would look, he said, “The orthopaedic department, neurosurgery, and relevant departments will be there to speed up the services. There will be a four-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with ventilation facilities on the ground floor.

“At present there are two emergency OTs. Now there will be six and one Post Anesthesia Care Unit.”

Major operations will be done in the newly built OTs, Nasir said, adding that 25 nurses had already been trained in this regard.

Between 1,200-1,400 patients are served at the DMCH emergency unit every day, according to the director.

“Once the new unit is launched, it is estimated that it will take a maximum of two hours to complete necessary tests and the primary treatment of each patient. They can be shifted to the relevant wards once stable,” Nasir said.