Sri Vijaya Puram, August 10: The deaths of two critical patients aboard a regular Directorate of Shipping Services (DSS) speedboat after their referral from CHC Rangat to GB Pant Hospital, ANIIMS, Sri Vijaya Puram, on August 8 have brought emergency medical evacuation arrangements during inter-island transfers into focus.
The two patients included an elderly person aged about 74 who was a case of road traffic accident and a young woman aged about 23 who was a case of chronic disease. Both were referred from CHC Rangat to GB Pant Hospital, ANIIMS, for further treatment. They reportedly died within half an hour of sailing from Rangat Bay Jetty, following which both bodies had to be disembarked at Long Island Jetty.
The transfer was carried out through a regular DSS speedboat without a certified medical doctor on board or accompanying the patients. The road traffic accident case was stated to require specialised surgical intervention at the tertiary-care hospital, while the second patient was suffering from a chronic disease.
The emergency evacuation options cited in the concerns include regular Pawan Hans or Defence helicopters. In the event that immediate emergency evacuation facilities were unavailable, continued conservative surgical management for the road traffic accident case and medical management for the chronic disease case were suggested until an appropriate evacuation facility became available.
The role of MV Shompen has also emerged as a key issue in the circumstances surrounding the transfer. The vessel is described as a dedicated hospital ship intended to improve healthcare access in remote areas, carrying medical teams, essential equipment and patients to isolated islands and facilitating emergency referrals to GB Pant Hospital, ANIIMS. It has the capacity to carry 16 patients who are not on stretchers and four patients who are on stretchers.
The availability of emergency medicines aboard the regular DSS speed boat has also been questioned. The two patients died within about half an hour of leaving Rangat Bay Jetty, resulting in their bodies being disembarked at Long Island Jetty.
The questions over the referral and transportation of the two patients, and the demand for an urgent investigation, have been raised by a stakeholder of the islands. The stakeholder has sought an inquiry into the role of the Medical Officer-in-Charge, CHC Rangat, and the concerned DMOs who referred the patients, along with their suspension until completion of the investigation. The stakeholder has also sought clarification from the Director, DSS, on why MV Shompen was not deployed to Rangat Bay Jetty for the emergency evacuation of the two critical patients.
