PATNA: Over 300 doctors and hundreds of nurses and paramedics of different government and private hospitals in the city have gone into home isolation after being tested positive for
Covid-19 in the last few days.
Acting president of the state unit of Indian Medical Association (IMA) Dr Ajay Kumar said the number of such doctors was increasing with each passing day, thus affecting the healthcare system in urban and rural areas.
However, since most doctors, nurses and healthcare workers have taken both doses of Covid vaccine, they have developed mild symptoms in the second wave and isolated themselves at home to protect others from catching the virus.
As 62 doctors and 50 nurses of
Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) have tested positive for Covid, the hospital administration has written to heads of all departments seeking details of the severity and symptoms of all those under home isolation.
“Since most of them have taken both doses of vaccine, we want to assess the symptoms, severity and other Covid effects on them,” PMCH superintendent Dr I S Thakur said on Sunday.
He admitted that non-availability of several infected doctors, nurses and healthcare workers has affected functioning at the OPDs. “Many of these doctors were involved in conducting Covid tests and microbiological examinations of samples. Some of them were also deputed in Covid wards,” he added.
Dr Thakur said a separate 27-bed ward has been created for treatment of doctors and health workers of PMCH with serious Covid symptoms.
At Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) too, healthcare services were affected with 25 doctors and 27 nurses testing positive for Covid and placing themselves under home isolation. “As most of them had received two vaccine doses, they have thankfully not experienced severity of the disease,” NMCH superintendent Dr Binod Kumar Singh said.
However, the NMCH’s main concern for the time being is to shift about 150 non-Covid patients to other hospitals. The NMCH was recently made a Covid-dedicated hospital by the state government.
“The hospital needs 800 to 900 oxygen cylinders per day for serious Covid patients. We have already informed the government about our requirement,” Dr Singh said.
The number of Covid positive health workers at AIIMS-Patna has increased to 102. Hospital’s nodal officer for Covid Dr Sajeev Kumar said 25 junior residents, 17 senior doctors and 65 nurses are in home isolation.
It is learnt that over 12 doctors of the ESIC Hospital at Bihta have also tested for positive.