Before the COVID crisis, we had 1 doctor for every 5 ICU patients. Now we have 1 doctor for 20 ICU patients. Relatives of patients still expect hourly updates, multiple people from same family calling for individualised conversations with doctors. People just don’t understand.

Because too many still fail to understand, hourly updates and speaking with multiple family members of same patient is simply not possible because doctors need to have time for patient management. The more time you spend in talking to us, the less time your patients get. Okay?

Also, every patient’s family receives one phone call a day without fail updating them on whatever happened in the past 24 hours along with the plan for the day. Any new development or adverse event is informed as and when they occur. The remaining time is for patient care.

In a 20-bed ICU with 1 doctor, diagnosis of impending adverse events and prompt changes in management to prevent them, emergency and routine procedures, handling codes, etc, is a thing of horror that TV shows or movies don’t show. So you will just have to take our word for it.