Dedicated geriatric ward opens at GMCH

Aurangabad: The geriatric department of the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) is finally set to get a dedicated ward at the medicine building of the hospital. The ward will become operational from Tuesday.

Provision of nursing and support staff for the ward has also been provided, according to GMCH medical superintendent Bharat Sonawane.

Last year, the state-run hospital started the geriatric department which offers wholesome care for the elderly. Mangala Borkar, head of the department, said that the ward is significant as a large number of patients visiting the hospital for various health concerns are above 60 years of age.

She stated that the department not only focuses on providing healthcare but also offers counselling. It offers care after a major attack and counselling to caregivers on how to better care for the patients. It ensures that the elderly patients don’t have to run to different departments.

Though the department was started last year, it was using beds from the medicine ward. On Saturday, a meeting was held by GMCH dean Kanan Yelikar to address the situation. It was decided that two wards of 15 beds each for male and female patients in the medicine building will be allotted to the geriatric department.

Sonawane also said the department has been given four staff nurses, one in-charge nurse and four servants. The department already has three post-graduate students, a lecturer, one associate professor, one unit in-charge and the head of the department. He added that the department will also provide house officers.

Recently, the medical college received an approval to start an MD course in geriatrics with three seats. The development made GMCH Aurangabad, the first government-run institution to facilitate the course in the state.