The new guidelines issued by the Central government for admitting and discharging patients into Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on December 23 last year has led to wrong impressions of doctors among citizens which forced the Medico-Legal Society of India (MLSI) to write Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating the guidelines are in contravention to the past Supreme Court judgment and are unacceptable and illegal.
Latest guideline
As per these latest guidelines, patients who are critically ill should not be admitted to an ICU without the consent of patients or next of kin. The guidelines also mentioned that the specialist in ICU should also have specific qualifications. The criteria for admitting a patient to the ICU should be based on organ failure and the need for organ support or in anticipation of deterioration in the medical condition, amongst others, the guidelines stated.
Latest guidelines have created the wrong impression
"There is no issue with the guidelines but it has created wrong impressions in the minds of citizens that doctors are unnecessarily admitting patients to ICU due to which patients and their relatives are losing faith in the doctors. Moreover, it has already created lots of confusion amongst doctors," said one of the MSLI members.
