Health services: Paediatric surgery department at Mayo Hospital forced to seek outside help

Heads of other surgical depts asked to take care of pediatric patients.

LAHORE: The Paediatric Surgery Department of Mayo Hospital is facing shortage of manpower and the administration has asked general surgery departments to treat paediatric patients on a temporary basis.

Medical Superintendent (MS) Amjad Shahzad has written a letter to the heads of surgical departments asking them to take care of paediatric surgery patients needing emergency treatment.

“It is requested that due to acute deficiency of doctors in Paediatric Surgery Department, emergency patients of paediatric surgery be attended by the general surgery departments except for neonates,” the MS said in the letter written on October 20.



The arrangements will continue until two post-graduate residents report from the surgical unit, reads the letter.

Surgeons at general surgery departments say they lack equipment and skills for paediatric surgery.

“Over 24 hours, we examine nearly 300 patients and perform 30 to 35 surgeries. There are two registrars in a shift on emergency duty… only one or two have ever handled paediatric surgery patients,” said a general surgeon.

“General surgeons are already burdened. Paediatric surgery is a sensitive job. If any mishap happens, the onus will be on them and not the administration,” the surgeon said. He said if someone was not capable of running a department, he should be fired. “The solution is not referring a patient from one department to another.”

“The situation amounts to near closure of the paediatric department,” a paediatric surgeon said requesting anonymity. He said the consultants were not ready to share their expertise.

“This can lead to the department’s closure. The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) will disaffiliate it for training if no trainees come to the department.”

Several post-graduate trainees have moved to the Services Hospital and the Children’s Hospital as nobody was supervising them, said a trainee who has moved to another hospital.

MS Shahzad said the arrangement was temporary and they would soon work out a solution. However, he also said general surgeons were capable of handling paediatric surgery patients.

“They are trained people. They should not have problems working at Paediatric Surgery Department,” he said.

West Surgery Department head Prof Sadaqat Ali Khan said the situation would improve next week.

“It is a stopgap arrangement… paediatric surgery patients are handled mdifferently using different equipment.”

Paediatric Surgery Department head Haroon Mansur said the department was nowhere near being closed. He denied the allegations that consultants were not supervising post-graduate trainees.

“How can one say there aren’t any supervisors available? We have requested for more manpower as we are short of post-graduate residents.

The problem has been nearly resolved as general surgery post-graduate residents have been sent to Paediatric Surgery Department on rotation,” he said.

A paediatric surgeon consultant said the arrangement had to be made due to shortage of manpower.

He said there were only three assistant professors at the department.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2014.