Chemotherapy and cardiology services at Super Specialty Hospital here were temporarily closed down today due to fumigation of its premises. As many as 13 people from the hospital, including four staffers have tested positive for COVID19 in the past one week.
While the cardiology services at the SSH were closed down,the Government Medical College Srinagar opened up the cath lab and cardiac ICUat the SMHS Hospital here to cater to the patients reporting with heartailments to the emergency of the hospital.
The SSH also closed down its dialysis unit and chemotherapyward “temporarily”, Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Shabir Ahmedsaid.
He said the closure of the wards was due to impendingfumigation necessitated by increasing number of positive cases, many of themfrom these wards.
Dr Ahmed said that the services would be made operational onMonday again.
Two nurses of the hospital tested positive today. Hospitalauthorities said the nurses were already under quarantine.
The hospital has had 13 cases of COVID19 in the past oneweek, since May 2, when a patient admitted at the hospital for a surgicalprocedure in plastic surgery ward tested positive. With this patient, anAnantnag resident, as index case, the hospital has had seven attendants ofpatients as positives.
One doctor, two nurses and a sanitation staff member workingat the premises have also tested positive. One more patient admitted atGastroenterology ward of the hospital has also tested positive, a day after hisson, who was attending to him lost life to the viral illness.
Many doctors have expressed concern over the swelling numberof cases from the hospital terming it as “failure” of the containment strategy.
A doctor working at GMC Srinagar said it was shocking thatthe hospital authorities did not deem it important to seal the hospital entryand exits till it tested all the inmates once a patient tested positive. “Todaythey say they have sampled 400 people from the hospital. If this exercise hadbeen carried out a week ago, things would have been different,” he said.
Dr Ahmed however said no laxity was allowed in containinginfection spread. “Right from day one, we have been testing people and theircontacts. The positives are because of this testing only. Otherwise none ofthem has any symptom,” he said.
He said on Saturday, 30 samples were taken and sent fortesting.