Chaos was witnessed at two COVID-19 hospitals here on Saturday with authorities struggling to cater to the rising load of patients who cried lack of facilities.
At JLNM Hospital, the designated COVID19 hospital, patientsalleged lack of segregation of patients based on their COVID-19 test result.
“We have tested negative, but we have been kept with somepatients who have tested positive and those whose tests are yet to be carriedout. Is this the right way to quarantine patients?” asked a woman admitted atthe hospital.
She said a single washroom was being kept for all thepatients, irrespective of their COVID-19 status. “Men, women and children;positive, negative and unknown, are forced to use the same dilapidated andunkempt facilities, putting them at risk of contracting coronavirus infection,”she said.
Some other patients demanded “better amenities” and “saferstay.” Another woman, a family member ofa COVID-19 positive person, who died earlier this week, said they were beingtreated like “criminals.”
She is undergoing quarantine at the hospital along withother members of the family. “There are no blankets for the patients and thewards are exposed to all sorts of infections,” she said, demanding homequarantine for people who had tested negative.
Over 100 people were shifted to the JLNM hospital onSaturday. In the past 24 hours, there have been at least two cases of peopleunder quarantined fleeing the Hospital.
Many patients demanded that they should be allowed to moveto their homes and put under home quarantine.
Following the ruckus, health department suspended a doctorat the hospital and terminated a microbiologist working as contractualemployee.
The action has been taken for alleged dereliction of theduty. Director health services, Kashmir,Dr Sumir Mattoo said the department was using its best resources at thequarantine facilities.
“We have moved positive cases to another floor at thehospital” he said. He said the patients need to “adjust” with the amenities,which he agreed were “not best in the world”.
“These are crisis times. We are trying to ensure everyone’ssafety,” he said.
At Chest Diseases Hospital too, violent scenes werewitnessed. Many photographs circulated on social media purportedly of the wardsof the Hospital.
These photographs show dogs roaming in the wards and uncleanwashrooms and other facilities.
A doctor working at the hospital said the patients createdruckus demanding better facilities and cleaner wards.
Dr S Saleem Khan said the Hospital building was an old one.”It is a known fact but this is what we have – the safest isolation facility ofGMC Srinagar,” he said.