E-Paper
Covid-19: Staff anxious as parts of 2 Tarn Taran rehabs turned into isolation wards
Tarn Taran civil surgeon Dr Anoop Singh says the two centres are among 15 Covid care isolation centres and will try not to use them until others are filled to capacity
The Tarn Taran district administration’s decision to turn parts of two government-run drug rehabilitation-cum-out patient opioid assisted treatment (OOAT) centres into isolation wards for quarantining those with symptoms of Covid-19 has caused anxiety and fear among their staff.
It is not only the fear of the coronavirus infection but also their concern for hundreds of drug addicts getting themselves treated at these centres. The 40- and 30-bedded isolation wards at these centres are situated at Tharu and Bhagupur villages of the district.
Even as the district has 13 OOAT centres, the Tharu and Bhagupur facilities not only take care of the rehabilitation of drug dependents, but also of registration of new patients. The two are registering more than 400 addicts on daily basis.
“Soon after an isolation ward was created in our centre, some of the admitted addicts left saying they could not stay here as suspected Covid-19 patients were to be isolated. There is only one entrance to the centre. It is not only making us as well the addicts vulnerable,” said Dr Paramvir Singh Sidhu, medical officer of the Tharu centre.
Another doctor said, “This will not only hamper the anti-drug drive, but also increase chances of cross-infection that can be catastrophic. Experts have been advising complete separation of healthy and suspected individuals. The administration should shift both the OOAT centres elsewhere as it was done in Amritsar.”
Tarn Taran civil surgeon Dr Anoop Singh said, “The two centres are among 15 Covid care isolation centres. We will try not to use these two until others are filled to capacity.”
Deputy commissioner (DC) Pardeep Kumar Sabharwal said, “If there is a danger of infection spread, the two centres will not be used as Covid isolation wards.”
