Tasaduq Hussain
Srinagar, May 15: The failure of administration at SMHS Hospital here has put dozens of staff members at a great risk of catching deadly virus as two patients, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, were kept in ICU and Ward 10 of the hospital for more than a day.
Official sources told Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that two patients—one of them a female from Habba Kadal area of Srinagar was referred to ICU from ENT department. “She was put on ventilator and her samples were taken that came positive today. In the ICU, most of the staff is without Personal Protective Equipment (PPE),” a source in the ICU revealed.
Similarly, another patient who was referred from Chest Diseases hospital to SMHS for tracheostomy was kept in Ward 10 also known as Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) overnight. He is from South Kashmir’s Anantnag district. What is more shocking is that when his test came as positive for COVID, he was again shifted back to CD Hospital clandestinely.
The two back to back positive cases have triggered a fresh fear among the staff members at ICU and Ward 10, who stated that due to the “negligence of hospital administration, hundreds of staff members have been exposed to a great risk of catching the pandemic.”
A staff member, speaking on the condition of anonymity said that SMHS hospital is in total mess and the mismanagement is taking toll over precious lives of patients, attendants and even the medical staff.
Talking to KNO, Dr Rukhsana Najeeb, Head Of the Department (HoD) of Anesthesia department, said that a patient was kept in ICU. “Her reports came positive after two days of taking samples. She was in shock and dying. We saved her life,” she said.
About the possible contact tracing, she said, it’s for administration to see and to ensure safety of health workers including doctors. “I have provided them safety equipment so that they remain protected,” she said.
