Govt may amend law to let patient's relative into ICU: Khader

Shivamogga, Sep 11: The government is contemplating amending the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (KPME) Act to permit a patient’s relative to enter a hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) during treatment, Health Minister U T Khader said on Thursday.

Presently, hospitals do not allow family members once a patient is taken into the ICU. Khader said he had received complaints about the treatment in the ICU. Relatives are not sure whether the patient is being given proper treatment or not. If treatment fails, the patient could die. At that moment, not having any family member in the ICU could demoralise the patient. So, it’s better to allow a family member into the ICU so the patient feels secure. But hospitals argue that allowing a patient’s relative is not feasible due to cleanliness. Khader said that let hospitals take precautionary measures and allow the family members into the ICU.

The government is also planning changes about compulsory post-mortem in cases of unnatural death, as stipulated by the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The Department of Health and Family Welfare has sent a proposal to the Centre in this regard. The minister wondered whether all deaths in hospitals need post-mortem?

In some cases, the family is certain about the cause of death and doesn’t insist on post-mortem. But if the death has legal implications, conducting the post-mortem is understandable, he said. “I don’t know where do these post-mortem reports go. When the family is in grief, a post-mortem will only give them more pain.”

The minister also announced opening a generic medicine centre in every district to help the poor. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will soon inaugurate a model generic medicine centre at the KC General Hospital in Bengaluru. The State’s first tele-radiology centre will be set up at the Bangalore Medical College.

The government has started filling 1,430 vacant posts of doctors in all primary health centres and general hospitals, he said. It has received 2,500 applications for 381 posts of MBBS doctors, 3,000 applications for 87 posts of dentists, and just 500 applications for 963 posts of specialist doctors.