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Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.
Comprehension:
KindCare hospital, located in the small industrial town of Chinar, is one of the largest hospitals within 50-kilometers radius. It is well-regarded among the locals for emergency services.
However, for critical surgeries, they prefer to travel to the nearest city Shamili, which is 100 kilometers away.
When KindCare was established 50 years ago, the town was still in its early stages of development. Consequently, the hospital needed to incorporate several facilities within its premises, including a 24-hour cafeteria, to accommodate needs of the patients and their relatives who would come from nearby places. Another facility that KindCare built and takes pride in is its state-of-the-art testing lab. It is the most sought-after testing lab in Chinar even today when many independent labs have come up around KindCare. Moreover, many other facilities have also come up in the surrounding area of the hospital such as pharmacies, food joints, hotels etc. Further, a standalone pharmacy chain has gained a strong foothold in Chinar as they expand their reach into Tier-3 cities.
When it comes to KindCare, a significant proportion of its patients are outpatients with a substantial number seeking emergency services. As the sole 600-bed hospital in the region, KindCare plays a crucial role in medical services, and receives generous funding from two major corporations operating locally, further enabling KindCare to cater to the growing medical needs of the community.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, KindCare made significant investment in enhancing internet connectivity, enabling many doctors, and the majority of administrative staff, to seamlessly work remotely. This investment also allowed KindCare to bring in doctors from other cities through remote care.
Further, COVID-19 was a wakeup call for KindCare to enhance their infrastructure. Though KindCare made significant improvements, they kept the major renovations on hold due to the constant flow of patients. KindCare believes that if the held renovations are not taken up on an urgent basis now, the operations at the hospital will get obstructed.
KindCare Hospital has to renovate its storage unit, given the complexity of the medicines and the need to store other critical supplies. The renovation is supposed to take seven days. However, as the work starts, the team entrusted with the work realizes that the work will take more than 15 days. KindCare feels that even this revised estimate is modest. Already the outpatient services are affected, and people visiting the hospital are being turned away. Stretching it further will attract a strong public resentment.
Which of the following actions offers the MOST sustainable solution for KindCare to reduce the number of patients being turned away?
Option D is the correct answer because it offers a sustainable and practical solution to minimize the disruption caused by the renovation. By bringing in a reputed team that can complete the work in just three days, KindCare can significantly reduce the time during which outpatient services are affected. While the cost is high, it is a short-term expense that ensures the hospital's reputation and ability to serve the community are not further damaged. The hospital is already turning away patients, which could lead to long-term resentment and a loss of trust in KindCare's services. Therefore, prioritizing a faster renovation—even at triple the cost—is the most effective and sustainable option to resolve the situation promptly and ensure smooth operations in the future.
Option A: This option is not the best solution because it introduces logistical challenges and inefficiencies. While renting spaces could allow the hospital to continue providing some services, operating from scattered locations would likely confuse patients and add complexity to hospital management. Patients seeking emergency care or outpatient services may not know where to go, and staff would need to divide their efforts between multiple locations. Furthermore, transporting critical supplies like medicines or equipment to these scattered spaces would be time-consuming and costly. While this option could temporarily reduce the number of patients turned away, it is not sustainable and would create operational challenges that could hurt KindCare's reputation.
Option B: This option is less effective because it does not address the immediate issue of patients being turned away. Starting reduced operations would still limit the hospital's ability to serve the community, and hiring a team of experts to expedite the renovation would add further delays. The renovation team already estimates that the work will take more than 15 days, and waiting for experts to provide solutions would only prolong the process. While this approach might seem cautious, it does not resolve the urgent problem of public dissatisfaction and disrupted services. It fails to provide a timely and impactful solution compared to Option D.
Option C: This option is not ideal because it would primarily help critical patients rather than addressing the broader issue of outpatient services being turned away. While critical patients might be redirected to Shamili, many outpatients and locals rely on KindCare as their primary medical facility. Shamili is located 100 kilometers away, which makes it inconvenient for most patients in Chinar and the surrounding area. Additionally, outsourcing patients to Shamili could harm KindCare's reputation as a dependable healthcare provider. This option solves the issue for only a small segment of patients and fails to address the community's broader healthcare needs.
Option E: This option is not sustainable because it simply postpones the problem rather than solving it. The hospital has already identified the need for urgent renovation of its storage unit, which is critical for maintaining an adequate inventory of medicines and supplies. Stopping the renovation would provide only a temporary reprieve and would likely result in greater operational challenges in the future. The hospital would eventually need to restart the renovation, potentially leading to another disruption. This approach reflects poor planning and does not provide a sustainable solution for the hospital or its patients.
Option D is the most sustainable and effective solution because it prioritizes minimizing disruption and ensures that the hospital can resume normal operations as quickly as possible. While the cost of hiring a reputed renovation team is high, it is a worthwhile investment to preserve the hospital's reputation and meet the community's healthcare needs. Completing the renovation in three days drastically reduces the duration of patient inconvenience and addresses the growing dissatisfaction among the public. Additionally, this option ensures that the hospital's infrastructure improvements are completed efficiently, preventing future delays or operational bottlenecks.
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