Covid: Kerala hospitals put off hundreds of surgeries

Thiruvananthapuram: Hundreds of surgeries have been postponed in medical colleges and key hospitals across the state due to Covid 19 spread. No surgeries other than of emergency nature are conducted for the last one and a half months.

7,000 surgeries of Kottayam Medical College were put off. Kozhikode Medical College rescheduled 1,500 surgeries. The number of surgeries in Thiruvananthapuram Medical College has halved. Surgeries have resumed in Thrissur Government Medical College, Amala and Jubilee medical colleges as fears of Covid spread got allayed.

Kottayam Medical College used to conduct 4,500 to 4,700 surgeries per month. However, only 450 surgeries including one heart transplantation were done in the last 45 days. Dr. TK Jayakumar, the medical college superintendent and head of the cardiology department said that no emergency cases were postponed. The cancer surgery department is still functioning.

Dr. Sajith Kumar, Superintendent at Kozhikode Medical College, said that only 25 surgeries are being done per day in the place of 75 surgeries in pre-Covid days. Emergency surgeries are still performed in all departments including oncology department. No surgeries were rescheduled  in orthopaedics department. 15 surgeries are conducted per day in the department.

Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, which does 50 – 60 surgeries per day, is now doing only 20  to 25 surgeries after Covid surge. Most of the cases are rescheduled for days within two months. Surgeries related to cancer have not been affected. Out-patient time has been extended.

Around 180 surgeries are postponed in Thrissur Medical College and Jubilee Medical College. Father Francis Pallikkunnath, director of Jubilee Medical College, said that no emergency cases were postponed.

Amala Medical College administered key surgeries including a case of removing a live fish from throat.

Kollam Paripalli hospital is concentrating on Covid treatment. OP of the hospital has stopped after the son of a pharmacist in the hospital was diagnosed with Covid.

A special team has been formed to treat patients in emergency department. Hospital superintendent Dr. Habib said that patients are admitted in ventilator and trauma care department when required.

As of now, there are 12 Covid patients.

All Covid patients of Kalamassery Medical College were shifted to Ernakulam General Hospital, said superintendent Peter Vazhayil. Timely treatment is being given at the general hospital. The superintendent informed that no emergency cases were postponed or cancelled so far.

Around 70 cases were postponed in Idukki. Dr. S. Vivek, Associate Professor of Al-Azhar Medical College Community Medicine, said that caution is ensured in isolation wards by assigning duty and observation for employees including the doctors. KM Mijas, group director, said that necessary facilities were being ensured according to the government guidelines.

More than 100 surgeries were done in Manjeri Medical College. Other treatments have been shifted to other hospitals.

In Kannur Govt Medical College, only emergency cases are admitted as most of the wards are designated as isolation wards. Covid OP is functioning from 8 am to 10 am.

Surgery is done in emergency cases only.  The cardiology department is offering emergency surgeries and others which were scheduled earlier.

Surgeries which were postponed due to Covid have been resumed in Medical College. Mainly cancer-related surgeries are being conducted.  In Alappuzha Medical College, emergency surgeries were conducted. Hospital authorities said that all cases are not postponed together.  The number of patients and surgeries have climbed up since Tuesday.