Private hospitals in Kochi get back to business

KOCHI: Private hospitals in the district have resumed outpatient operations and clinical procedures in full swing, all the while taking adequate precautionary measures in the wake of the rising number of Covid-19 cases. Dr Anup R Warrier, infectious disease expert at Aster Medcity, said the hospital has kept a section isolated to treat any Covid-19 patients.

“We are always ready to handle Covid-19 cases in our hospitals, if any turns up. With flights resuming operations, more people will be coming from other countries and we have kept a section isolated to deal with any Covid-19 cases among them. However, we cannot place our entire focus on the Covid section and need to ensure the regular wings are not affected,” Dr Anup said.

A doctor in one of the leading hospitals in the district said all major hospitals have resumed operations as they are, as of now, not involved in treating Covid-19 patients.“Though we have an isolation wing ready for Covid patients, we cannot dedicate our entire staff strength to it. Else, we will be understaffed for regular patient care,” said the doctor.

Doctors said there was a significant drop in arrival of patients having minor ailments. “Only people with major ailments are coming. The arrival of those having minor ailments has reduced, which is a good sign,” said Dr Sanil Kumar, urologist at Lisie Hospital.Many hospitals have also resumed major heart surgeries while adopting safety measures and collecting details, including travel history, of patients. “We cannot compromise on the treatment of the non-Covid patients due to the pandemic. Before a surgery, the patient is tested for Covid-19 and is operated upon only if the result is negative,” said Sanil.