Putting Covid-19 and other patients close to each other at GMC Anantnag has raised concerns with medicos fearing cross-infection.
The 25-bed isolation ward for the covid19 patients, which was earlier functioning from the old hospital building, has now been shifted to new building and its bed capacity has been increased to 42. However, with, endoscopy, dialysis and ICU section barely a few meters from this room, the medicos fear chances of cross-infection.
“A huge patient rush comes to these sections and there is likelihood of their contracting the virus,” a medico said.
He said the surgery, ENT, orthopaedic, ophthalmology and now the medicine have all been crammed into a single IPD ward on the second floor of the new building. “Around 100 patients are admitted in this ward with around 50-bed capacity,” the medico said. He said dermatology and psychiatric wards have now been closed.
Another medico suggested that surgical patients should have been temporarily shifted to old building to decongest the ward. “The doctors, particularly junior and senior residents don’t have even a place to sit,” he said.
The medico said a patient with severe symptoms is admitted in the general ward until he gets the COVID -19 test report. “Most of the times we observe that the patient is isolated only when his sample returns positive from SKIMS or CD lab. It usually takes days together to first get the patient tested and then to get his/her report. So, there is likelihood of cross-infection,” he said.
The attendants of patients also complained that the patients with co-morbidities are left unattended.
“My father was admitted eight days back. He is a lymphoma patient. We bought him here after he developed severe flu symptoms. He was kept in the general ward and then after his test returned positive, we were denied bed,” said an attendant. He said, for three days no medic or paramedic attended his father.
Hospital medical superintendent, Dr Muhamad Iqbal said: “We had to increase the bed capacity and the old building did not have enough oxygen points. There is complete segregation of the COVID-19 ward as nearby sections have been separated by erecting doors.”
He said for now they were only conducting emergency surgeries and not the routine ones. “So, we shifted medicine ward there,” he said.
The MS assured that they will provide accommodation to doctors. However, he refuted the allegations of patients being left unattended.