Let other hospitals join action: Hyderabad Gandhi hospital Corona warriors

While King Koti district hospital is made the out-patient hospital for testing Covid-19 suspected cases and doing sample testing and sending those who tested positive to Gandhi, other six facilities are yet to go through treatment and safety protocols

Hyderabad: Corona warriors at Gandhi hospital want the State government to consider admitting Covid-19 patients at other designated hospitals also. They feel it is time the health department gears up doctors and medical staff in other hospitals by referring a few positive cases so that they get the feel of treatment protocols, safety and protective measures which will hold them in good stead in near future.

Imagine if there is sudden spurt in cases, leading to admissions in big numbers at these hospitals. The doctors and staff there will be ill-prepared to handle the burden, impairing the overall treatment, thus exposing them to infections.

It may be mentioned here that State government has finalised 8 hospitals, namely, Gandhi, TIMS, Gachibowli, District Hospital (King Koti) as well as Nature Cure hospital (Begumpet), Govt. Nizamia General Hospital (Charminar), Govt. Ayurveda hospital (Erragadda), Govt. Ayurveda Teaching hospital (Warangal) and DK Government Homeo Hospital (Ramanthapur).

While King Koti is made the out-patient hospital for testing Covid-19 suspected cases and doing sample testing and sending those who tested positive to Gandhi, other six facilities are yet to join the action yet.

Initially, positive cases were admitted in Gandhi and Chest hospitals, but since April almost all infected patients are being treated in Gandhi only, which is made the dedicated Covid-19 hospital with nearly 1,100 bed strength. The active cases being treated are just under five hundred although state's positive cases tally is nearing 1,500 mark. Almost 950 patients who recovered with treatment and became asymptomatic have been discharged till now. Until Gandhi beds are almost filled up, it seems unlikely that other designated hospitals would see any admissions of Covid positive cases.

Against this backdrop, frontline healthcare professionals and workers from Gandhi have come up with the proposal to admit patients in various other hospitals and not wait till Gandhi beds are totally filled up.

The other big advantage of admitting infected cases, a few to begin with, in other hospitals is that doctors and medical staff would get used to treatment protocols as in force at Gandhi hospital that jumped into action since February. Over 800 healthcare professionals and workers including 250 to 300 doctors have been rendering Covid-19 duties and treatment. They are so trained to take all precautions without fail that not even one of them has tested positive so far. Everyone right from doctor to sanitation worker has a clear understanding of this disease and is taking safety measures to that effect, a doctor pointed out.

GET THEM TO GEAR UP

• State health dept identified eight hospitals for treating infected patients

• As of now admissions are being confined to Gandhi hospital only

• Doctors in Covid duties say staff in other hospitals too should gear up

• They need to be well conversant with treatment protocols, safety procedures

• Sudden rush of patients at these hospitals might pose risks to medical and support staff

• None of 800 doctors and staff in Gandhi infected so far as they joined action early