COVID-19 pandemic: Continuum of adjustments and reorganizations justified

Abstract

The year 2020 came with one of the biggest challenges of the century to mankind in the form of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Reorganization of the institutional facilities with the reallocation of resources and continuous reshuffles in the manpower became the need of the hour to cater to the onslaught of the pandemic. We at the SKIMS are proud of having handled the pandemic very efficiently on scientific lines. The biggest challenge was to handle the load of COVID-19 patients and simultaneously prevent its spread in the hospital and ensure that non-COVID patients don't suffer. COVID-19 has changed a lot of things in the recent past. It has affected not only the social aspect of our lives but has put a lot of burden with changes on our day-to-day work culture and pattern. Reorganization of the hospital infrastructure with adjustments on the demand of the situation is vital for combating the overwhelming number. Most of the hospitals have stopped elective admissions and are catering to only emergencies and semi-emergencies, including malignancies. So, the patients who have disorders or deformities who can wait have been put on abeyance. Hospital staff is also hugely burdened. On one hand, they have to cater to their own duties plus the duties of those who turned positive. They are most vulnerable to infection and run a high risk of developing psychological symptoms. There has been a change in the pattern of the emergencies. There have been more cases of domestic trauma as well as agricultural trauma with a fall in road traffic accidents.