AIIMS Trauma Centre suspends admissions, may remain affected for over a month

New Delhi: Admission of patients to the emergency department of the AIIMS Trauma Centre, the biggest such facility in the country, is likely to be suspended for over a month after Sunday's blaze rendered the operation theatre complex non-functional, hospital sources said on Monday. Several surgeries scheduled for Monday were postponed due to the non-functional OT, they said.

On an average, 25-30 emergency surgeries are performed at the five major operation theatres of the facility, named Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre, on a daily basis. "New admissions cannot happen because of the non-functional OT complex. Patients who suffer trauma injuries or accidents come here and are emergency cases, mostly requiring surgery.

"Four to five emergency surgeries scheduled for Monday, that could not wait, are being performed at the main AIIMS facility. Rest of the surgeries, based on priority, would be performed over the next few days," one of the sources added.

However, the outpatient department of the facility is functional and the patients coming for follow-ups are being treated, they said. Unaware of the development, several patients who arrived at the hospital for treatment were sent back or referred to the main AIIMS hospital, besides Safdarjung and RML hospitals.

Though the extent of the damage to the OT complex has not yet been ascertained, the engineering team which inspected it Monday estimated the repair would take at least two months as two out of the five major operation theatres were charred, a source said. He said all OT linen and cotton got burnt and some instruments were also damaged.

Meanwhile, the hospital administration is trying to set up an OT on the first floor of the Wing A, which was dismantled few months ago due to renovation work on the floor, to perform admitted surgery cases. "The first floor was to be renovated to make five more operation theatres and one OT which was functional was dismantled couple of months back. That might be started for the time being to cater to the surgical needs of the admitted patients," a senior doctor said.

The doctor said the first, fourth and fifth floor patients who were shifted to disaster and casualty areas last night have been shifted back to their wards and everyone is safe. Some of the recuperating patients were discharged in the night itself. A woman guard and an employee of the fire unit of the trauma centre, who suffered Carbon Monoxide poisoning during the blaze, are being treated at the main AIIMS and their conditions remain stable, a source said.

The emergency department of the hospital witnesses a footfall of an average 250-300 patients per day.