The Burn Hospital Does Not Have a Pulmonologist in its Staff
<p>It is the doctor in charge of addressing respiratory diseases, precisely the major type of complication in patients. A report by the Audit of the City of Buenos Aires says that attention is "excellent", although there is no pediatric intensive care and the number of professionals is "insufficient" in the clinical, surgical and kinesiology areas.</p>
A report by the Auditor General of the City of Buenos Aires (AGCBA, for its acronym in Spanish) states that between permanent staff of the Burn Hospital there is no pulmonologist, a medical specializing in illnesses of major complications for patients with respiratory diseases.
One of the conclusions of the inspection body is that "despite the difficulties shared" with other health centers, the Burn Hospital "achieves an excellent service to patients, and adequate containment for their families."
Among those "difficulties", the work, adopted in 2009 on 2007 data highlights the lack of pediatric intensive care unit. When a case is complicated, and requires respiratory aid, the patient should be referred to the Garrahan by SAME, from where the Burns Hospital also receives children, but only for intermediate care.
At the headquarters of Pedro Goyena 369 there isn’t a clinician on duty so that function ends up being covered by an intensive therapy professional. According to the AGCBA, if a patient requires a clinical consultation after hours an intensive care physician must leave the unit to treat the patient.
Hospital patients need two to five changes of clothes per day, depending on the severity of their condition. But the Watchdog said that the "insufficient number of staff assigned to the sector" can only allow for two changes per day maximum.
The lack of professionals "in most specialties, both clinical and surgical" means that the Burn Hospital is required to consult other health centers or pre-existing conditions associated, causing "significant delays for patients." Also, only routine laboratory tests can be done in the hospital, while the rest -MRI or CT Scans- are requested at other clinics.
They also have few doctors in the area of rehabilitation. In fact, the hospital does not have kinesiologists on duty and, therefore, a patient can not be treated after 4 o'clock, time when that area closes.
As for the building complex at the health center, the AGCBA found that underground there are no natural ventilation or emergency exits, even though the engine room, pathology, sterilization and morgue work there, nor is there natural gas or running water. The pharmacy, meanwhile, it does not have hot water in the bathrooms, it floods and lacks physical space to store supplies.
The report added that in the outpatient rooms central air conditioning is not available, the air is not renewed and there isn’t enough space to deposit supplies and equipment.