Providing Medical Care at Inter-University Sports Meet: A Case Study of Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Solapur University

Dr. Abhijeet Jagtap

Medical Officer and Academic Coordinator School of Allied Health Sciences,

Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Solapur University (Maharashtra)

 

Address for Correspondence:

Health Centre

Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Solapur University,

Pune-Solapur Highway, Kegaon

Solapur 413255

Contact:

Email-orthodoxj@gmail.com, ahjagtap@sus.ac.in

Mobile- 9730105961

 

Key Words: Medical Care, Interuniversity Sports Meet, Case Study, Solapur University.

 

Abstract:

Sports injuries are inevitable in any sports and must be dealt with prompt attention and medical care. When it comes to a big occasion such as Interuniversity Sports Meet, it necessitates meticulous micro-planning and actual implementation to provide medical care at such events. This paper describes the pre meet planning as well as on the field experiences related to sports injuries and medical care provided during the annual interuniversity sports meet conducted by Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Solapur University in the year before the lockdown period. More than three thousand sports person from twenty state universities across the Maharashtra state participated in this event that lasted for four days. This paper describes how preparations were done to handle sports injuries on the field, planning, budgeting and actual expenditure incurred to provide medical care during the sports meet.

 

Background:

Interuniversity Sports Festival which was formerly known as ASHWAMEDH mahotsav is one of its kind of mega sports event that is meant to provide a state level platform to the entire sports person belonging to various universities and colleges in the State of Maharashtra. The event is backed up by the Maharashtra Governor’s Office. All the UGC recognized state, deemed and private universities in and across Maharashtra state are eligible for participation in this event. This is an annual event that is hosted by the university approved by the governor’s office. It is mandatory for the host university to conduct minimum of five different sports games which are decided in consultation with all the physical directors of all the universities and host university can decided one game of its own choice. Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar University (PAHSUS) formerly known as Solapur University has been the host University for conducting the Interuniversity Sports Festival in the year 2019. PAHSUS is a state university established by the Maharashtra in the year 2004 and accredited by NAAC 'B’ Grade (CGPA 2.62). It is the only university in entire nation which is meant for a single district of Solapur situated in South-West Maharashtra. University has ten schools belonging to different faculties and a total of one thousand on campus students and more than one lac students studying from over hundred and ten affiliated colleges across the Solapur district.

About the 23rd Interuniversity Sports Festival:

23rd Interuniversity Sports Festival was hosted by PAHSUS from 26th December 2019 to 30th December 2019. More than three thousand sportsperson and coaches from twenty state universities across Maharashtra state participated in the event. All these participants were from twelve non-agricultural, four agricultural and four professional and technical universities across the Maharashtra State. The event consisted of five games namely Kho-Kho, Kabaddi, Basketball, Volleyball and Handball and Athletic and track events. Maximum participants were from Kabaddi (20.1%) followed by Volleyball, Basketball, Kho-Kho, Athletics and Handball respectively. Apart from the actual sports persons, there were more than six hundred coaches and supports staff and other dignitaries from all the universities attended the event. The event was inaugurated on 26th December at the auspicious hands of Shri. Bhagatsingh Koshyari, Honorable Chancellor of Maharashtra State.

Pre Planning for Medical Care:

Considering the number of participants in the event and their stay at the university campus for a period of five days, providing medical care to them was a challenging task. A special medical committee were appointed by the Vice Chancellor in consultation with University Medical Officer for planning and implementation of the same. The Medical Committee consisted of seven members belonging to medical and sports field. There were three medical experts namely principal of local government aided Ayurvedic college, Head of Medicine department from local govt. medical college and a experienced general surgeon from vicinity of university campus. Two physical directors belonging to aided and private colleges affiliated to the host university were also a part of the committee. Director of Sports and Physical Education of university was member secretary of the committee while University Health Officer headed the committee. Three meetings of the medical committee were held in the month of April, July and Sept 2019. The committee drafted a detailed plan for providing medical care across the event. Committee also prepared a budget estimate of Rs.3 lacs for the medical committee and was approved by the management council of the university. The budgetary provision was meant for purchase of necessary equipments, medicines, surgical, splints and other expenses such as remuneration to the outsourced staff, payment of ambulance charges etc.

Actual Provision of Medical Care:

As per the directives of the committees it was decided to set up one first aid centre at each events ground. Thus a total of five first aid centers were set up near each playing ground namely basketball, volleyball, kho-kho and Kabaddi, athletic track and handball ground. Each first aid centre was manned by two doctors, two auxiliary nurse midwives and NSS volunteers. Each first aid centre were provided with a fowlers bed, dressing trolleys and drums, patient curtains, wheel chairs, stretchers, biomedical waste dust bins along with equipments such as BP apparatus, Stethoscopes, Finger Pulse Oximeter, Glucometers and Body Mass Analyzers. The medical and nursing staff were kept in two shifts. Morning shift was started as 8 am till 2 pm and afternoon shift was from 2 pm to 8 pm. For night emergencies, a separate team was kept ready near residential facility which worked from 8 pm to 8 am. The medical teams were provided with breakfast, meals and dinner at the place of first aid centre to facilitate them to stay at the centre during the designated shifts. Two ambulances were kept ready during the day time and one ambulance at night time. Eleven doctors with thirty five nursing staff worked throughout the tournament period for on 24x7 bases. Apart from them University health centre was fully operational during these days. Minor injuries like abrasions, contusions, sprain, starin were managed at the first aid centers. Patients who needed monitoring or day care were shifted from the first aid centers to the university health centre where University Medical Officer and his support staff looked after the patients. Patients needing advanced care and hospitalization were sent to Solapur city for further management.

During the tournament period we recorded 533 patients at the first aid centers and health center. Majority patients were having minor injuries such as abrasion, contusion, sprain, strain and mild dehydration were treated on the ground only. Some patients needing intravenous fluid support were sent to university health centre where they received day care and send to the hostels again. Only four patients needed hospitalization out which one was having gastric infection and moderate dehydration, one was having renal colic and rest two had fractures of elbow and ankle respectively. Patients of fractured bones were belonging to Kabaddi.

Use of Public Private Partnership (PPP) to provide medical care:

Given the nature of tournament and number of participants, university health centre alone could not have handled the entire medical care alone. University health centre is manned by staff of four persons namely Medical Officer, Pharmacists, Nurse and Peon. This staff was not sufficient to handle the burden of patients, so Medical Committee decided to adopt Public Private Partnership for providing the medical care. For this University sought help from various local government and private medical institutions. The private partners reciprocated well and offered every possible help for this event. Seth Govindaji Raoji Ayurvedic Mahavidyalay (SGR) is a local Ayurvedic medical college, that offered help in the form their Post Graduate Trainee Doctors. A team of 11 doctors were sent for the help. Similarly a local private nursing institute Yashodhara Nursing College sent a team of 35 auxillary nurse midwives. Local Government Medical College sent their ambulance for complete five days period for patients transport in case of emergency. Similarly another ambulance was sent from Chandan Institute of Neurosciences (CNS) for the same. These ambulances were continuously posted at the play ground area. Apart from these help, volunteers from Parag Kulkarni Acupressure Team helped at the first aid centers. They gave acupressure treatment to patients which was quiet effective especially in sprain and strain patients. Volunteers from National Students Service Scheme (NSS) and National Cadet Corps (NCC) assisted medical teams and helped in maintaining disciplines at the centers.

Financial Management for Providing Medical Care:

University has approved a budgetary provision of Rs.3 lacs for the medical committee. Total expenditure made was Rs.1.44 lacs which was very well below the provision made. Itemized expenditure included Remuneration for the outsourced medicos and nursing staff (Rs.50,800), Purchase of Equipments and surgical (Rs.48,020), Purchase of medicines (Rs.22,020), Provision of breakfast and meals (Rs.11,899) and transport charges (Rs.11,471). The reason behind the economic expenditure was attributed to generosity shown by the private partners like CNS who provided ambulance totally free of cost and SGR College and Yashodhara College who sent the medical teams and expected nothing in return but university paid the remuneration to the doctors and nurses on daily basis.

Innovative Practices adopted during the Event:

University health centre brought out some innovative ideas to make this event memorable. University decided to prepare and publish a special booklet dedicated to sports and health. Various articles were invited from specialists and experts from various fields.. University Medical Officer worked as chief editor of this booklet. Finally this booklet called as AROGYBHAN:NIRAMAY KREEDAJIVAN was prepared and published at the auspicious hands of Governor of Maharashtra on the inaugural day of event. The booklet consisted of total 23 articles on various themes such as Sports Nutrition, Sports Psychology, Fitness and Diet, Yoga, First Aid Management, Career in Sports etc. Total 3500 copies of this booklet were distributed to all the participant sports persons, their coaches and other dignitaries.

Another innovative thing we did was to measure body mass index and other parameters of participant sports persons. For this we used Body Fat Analyzer machines. We trained the nursing staff for using these machines. Five machines were kept at each first aid centers. Total of seven hundred sports persons measured their body mass indices and they were handed over the reports and were counseled and guided on the same.

 

Conclusion:

Annual Interuniversity Sports Meet is an example of mega sports event where students get an opportunity to showcase their talents and skills on a bigger stage. The mega sports event poses multiple challenges due to the large number of sports participants. Providing accommodation, dining and transport facilities and avoiding disasters are some of the key challenges during such event. To provide medical care at mega sports event such as of Interuniversity Sports Meet is a challenging task that requires meticulous micro planning well in advance, proper budgeting and resource allocation and disciplined execution on the field. For this using PPP model offers and excellent opportunity to serve the purpose in best possible and cost effective manner.

Acknowledgement:

Author want to express his sincere gratitude to Dr. Mrunalini Fadnavis, Honorable Vice Chancellor of Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Solapur University, Dr. SK Pawar, Director of Sports and Physical Education for their constant support and belief in me.

 

References:

1. Archives from Department of Sports and Physical Education, Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Solapur University.
2. Annual Report of Health Centre for 2019-20, PAH Solapur University, Solapur

 

Table 1. List of Participant Universities
Name of University	Type of University	No. of Participants
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad	StateNon Agricultural	141
Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune	State Non Agricultural	144
Shivaji University, Kolhapur	State Non Agricultural	132
Mumbai University, Mumbai	State Non Agricultural	139
Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University, Nanded	State Non Agricultural	139
Gondwana University, Gadchiroli	State Non Agricultural	120
Sant Gadagebaba University Amaravati	State Non Agricultural	143
Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj University, Nagpur	State Non Agricultural	124
Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Solapur University, Solapur	State Non Agricultural	144
Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women's University	State Women	67
KB Chowdhari North Maharashtra University, Jalgaon	Non Agricultural State	129
Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, Nashik	State Open	78
Kavi Kulguru Kalidas Sanskrit University Ramtek Nagpur	State Open	35
Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik	State Professional	120
Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University, Lonere, Raigad	State Technical	103
Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University	State Technical	94
Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Agricultural University	State Agricultural	81
Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth	State Agricultural	98
Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth	State Agricultural	125
Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth	State Agricultural	108
		2264

 

 

Table 2. Sports wise participants distribution
Type of Game	Number of Participants		Total	Percentage
	Male	Female
Kho-Kho	215	192	407	17.9%
Kabaddi	228	228	456	20.1%
Basketball	210	174	384	16.9%
Volleyball	208	209	417	18.5%
Handball	115	120	235	10.5%
Athletic and Track Event	191	174	365	16.1%
	1167	1097	n = 2264

 

 

Table 3. Item wise Expenditure
Sr. No	Item	Expenditure Incurred
1	Medical Team Resource Remuneration	Rs.50,800
2	Providing Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner to Medical Team	Rs.11,899
3	Purchase of Surgical supplies and equipments	Rs.48,020
4	Purchase of Medicines	Rs.22,020
5	Medical Team Transport charges	Rs.11,471
	Total	Rs.1,44,210

 

 

Fig.1. Tournament Location 1- University Main Campus

 

Fig 2.Tournament Location 2- Athletic Track