SIR JJ IS WATCHING PRIVATE LAB PERSONNEL

Mumbai: Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras will now monitor the emergency, casualty, out-patient department (OPD) and resident patient wards at the state-run Sir JJ Group of Hospitals (JJ Hospital) to keep an eye out for personnel from private-sector pathological laboratories (PPLs) canvassing on the premises. The unholy nexus between hospital staffers and unscrupulous PPLs was unearthed when Dean of JJ Hospital Dr Pallavi Saple took charge on April 01 and promptly appointed an inquiry committee to investigate and issue recommendations to curb the problem. Confirming the development, Dr Saple said more CCTV cameras have been requisitioned. Even as the committee has only just submitted its recommendations, Dr Saple has strategically realigned existing infrastructure to focus attention on unrelated visitors.

The inquiry committee has issued recommendations to curb the predatory practices by the private path labs and directed that, “Resident Medical Officers (RMO) doctors should take morning ward rounds when the blood collection is usually done. During this round, they should have a dialogue with (the) sisters-incharge and residents (read patients). This will lead to fewer routine complaints .” Similarly, security staff have been directed to take rounds within the hospital premises during their duty hours to identify suspicious outsiders observed to be visiting the various medical wards and report such persons to the on-duty RMO.

Senior nurses, or sisters-in-charge, would now be required to enter details of all the blood tests into a register for (proper) documentation and to upgrade the hospital and its labs. The committee has also recommended that all hospital staffers--including doctors, nurses, class 3 and Class 4 employees--must henceforth display identity cards prominently (on their lapel) for distinct identification. Even patient relatives must display the identity cards issued to them prominently. The committee has directed that for special blood investigations required for patients that are unavailable within the hospital facility, the specific permission from the Head of (Department) Unit or RMO would be a prerequisite from now on. The committee has also mandated that investigation reports of tests for detecting HIV, HBsAG and HCV must be made available and uploaded within a specified time-bound period for emergency surgeries for head injuries and dialysis patients.