OFFICIALS at the Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) yesterday had to deal with a backlog of more than 100 patients at the hospital.
They said from the patients waiting to be admitted at the Accident and Emergency Department early in the morning, the waiting list had been reduced by around 50.
“More than 25 patients were discharged by the afternoon and another 25 by early evening,” said an official, who did not want to be named.
“We are working very hard to send some more home by late evening and reduce the waiting numbers even more. We hope this massive backlog will be cleared soon.”
He said a special team, consisting of senior doctors and administrators, had worked throughout the day to identify patients who could be discharged.
“We had to intervene to send them home to accommodate those who had just arrived,” said the official.
Over the last few weeks there have been more than 70 patients waiting for beds for several days in a row.
Officials, however, said they had been trying their best to deal with the problems, but had their hands full.
“We do our best but they keep coming and we cannot cope since there is not enough room,” said the official.
He blamed a large number of holidays over the last few days as being responsible for the current situation.
However, Bahrain Society for Sickle Cell Anaemia Patient Care chairman Zakreya Ebrahim Al Kadhem said the number of patients might start to build up again late in the evening.
“More than half of the patients on Monday night were suffering from sickle cell disease,” he said.
“Of the 50 waiting now, at least a third are also sickle cell patients.”
Mr Al Kadhem said though the society understood the constraints, the solution laid in creating special facilities for them.
“We have conveyed our concerns to the authorities on several occasions but we have not had any satisfactory response,” he said.
Campaigners have alleged several sickle cell patients who have died at the hospital from the diseases were due to a lack of hospital and ICU beds.
They claim lives could have been saved if patients had received immediate ICU care.
In the last 11 months, at least seven of the 28 sickle cell deaths have been blamed on negligence by staff and doctors as well as beds shortage.
The ministry announced earlier this month that work on a new 90-bed haematology centre at the SMC had begun.
The BD2.5 million, four-storey facility will treat all patients with blood diseases but will be of particular help for those suffering from sickle cell disease, according to the ministry.
The new facility, which will house an accident and emergency department, an out patient department and a ward each for children, men and women, will be ready by the mid of 2012. No officials from the Health Ministry could be reached yesterday for comments.
MANDEEP SINGH
Gulf Daily