Minister reacts pro actively to concerns of Covid-19 patients at Wenlock Hospital

MANGALURU: A late night WhatsApp message to medical education minister K Sudhakar by patients admitted at district Wenlock Hospital on state of affairs at the Covid ward helped assuage their concerns. Taking note of the messages, the office of the minister and the district administration went about addressing concerns that the patients flagged.
A series of concerns raised by a patient through WhatsApp videos and pictures sent to TOI offices showed Covid-19 patients in general ward. The patient said 47 people – old and young alike shared a common ward with common bathroom and toilet facilities. Noting that the patients had not been given gloves, the patient added that the masks given to them were of poor quality. The patient said doctors were not visiting them.
While Sindhu B Rupesh, deputy commissioner and Gayathri Nayak, in-charge of district Covid bulletin responded to the message by seeking details of the problems and an assurance, the minister’s office asserted that the concern will be communicated to the district health and family welfare officer and also to the district surgeon. “We are committed to their early recovery as per treatment protocol,” the officer said.
DHO Dr Ramachandra Bairy said the Covid-19 positive patients are housed in general ward in three different floors of the new multi-speciality block of Wenlock Hospital. Priority is given to pregnant women, children and senior citizens during their stay at the hospital, he said. “It is difficult to give individual attention to every patient when they are over 200,” he said.
On the concern that patients across all age groups are in one ward, Dr Bairy said since they are positive, it does not matter. Most of the patients are asymptomatic and all they need is medicine and rest, he said. “It is in this very facility that 209 patients were treated and discharged,” he said adding complaints pertaining to wash room and others are very minor issues in a pandemic situation.