Tornú Hospital: Missing Operating Rooms, Equipment, Drugs, Stoves and a Closed Residence
<p>This was detected by the audit of the City of Buenos Aires. The health center is a leader in the field of respiratory diseases. However, it can not do screening for asthma and a device that measures lung capacity has not worked since 2007. 14 years ago to do autopsies and "sometimes" requires little space to lay bodies out of the freezers.</p>
Although the Acute General Hospital Tornú reference is the effector of the City of Buenos Aires with regard to respiratory diseases, the Buenos Aires Audit (AGCBA, for its acronym in Spanish) detected missing cardiopulmonary diagnostic equipment and that lack of drugs, not bronchial provocation tests, used to detect asthma.
The report of the inspection body, approved this year on 2008 data, explains that the hospital "did not have a 'cibergómetro' (bike)" to perform comprehensive analysis of the respiratory and circulatory, and precisely "these tests -cardio- allow to reach diagnoses that can not be obtained by any other method available."
Similarly, the AGCBA noted that during the period audited, the Respiratory Pathophysiology service "only performed spirometry as the plethysmograph, equipment that allows the evaluation of residual volume to total lung capacity, not working since mid-2007, despite repeated requests "of repair.
In turn, in the hospital wards of service and treatment of patients with lung diseases, Neumotisiología, "there ceilings in disrepair and electric stoves donated by the staff" because the Hospital "functioned poorly."
The Audit work adds that "the Thoracic Surgery Hospital is a referral center and the only one with a thoracic surgeon on call 24 hours," but has a "constraint, lack of operating rooms." Also, auditors noted that in the City "no training new specialists in thoracic surgery" because "the residence of Tornú closed".
Moreover, in intensive care, "the number of beds available (10) is limited to the number of patients in the Hospital".
Meanwhile, the AGCBA found that "since 1996 no autopsies are performed by non-technical; work in the morgue is done by orderlies together because there is no permanent staff; and sometimes, the nine existing cameras are insufficient, so that the bodies can be disposed outside of them." Finally, it adds that "the morgue is in a state of neglect."
The audit also says that "is particularly acute location space for the patient record and deaths, to be retained for a period established by law. The place is wet; it is no ventilation or lighting."
Finally, the report explains that "the creation of specialized areas to meet demand and the lack of formal structure" determine "the existence of interim charges in a high proportion," where agents responsible positions "without remuneration corresponds to the budgetary functions exercised."
