E-Paper
Delay in Covid-19 reports of pregnant women putting staff, other patients at risk at Chandigarh’s GMSH-16
Daily, there are around 15 admissions from Chandigarh and around eight from the adjoining states
Within a span of eight days, three asymptomatic pregnant women who delivered babies at the Government Multi-Specialty Hospital in Sector 16 have turned out to be Covid positive.
The delays in test reports of the pregnant women has not only given a tough time to the doctors, but also put other pregnant women and staff at the hospital at risk.
On April 30, a woman from Bapu Dham Colony delivered a baby in the hospital and the next day reports revealed that she was infected. She became the first positive pregnant woman of Chandigarh.
A week later, on May 5, a 20-year-old woman from Maloya delivered a baby. The same day, a 24-year-old from SBS Nagar was admitted and her C-section took place at 12:29am on May 7.
A highly placed source within the GMSH-16 said: “Following the guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research, which recommend that every pregnant woman in a containment zone should be tested, the samples of both women were sent on May 5 itself, but reports came on May 8.” Both tested Covid positive. By that time, however, both women had undergone deliveries.
LABOUR ROOMS ARE OVERCROWDED
“Labour rooms in government hospitals are overcrowded. No matter how many precautions we take, there are always chances of spread. We must know on time whether the patient is positive or not, so that we can isolate them,” said a staffer, wishing not to be named.
The staff member further said: “The samples of positive women should be treated on priority and reports should come within 6-7 hours. But we are getting reports after 48 hours, which is too late, and by the time deliveries are done.”
According to experts, the ICMR guidelines came on April 20 and after that they started taking samples of all pregnant women (except those who come in emergency and their deliveries can’t wait).
Another GMSH-16 official said: “One of the infected women was given intubation, which is quite risky as chances of getting infection are more.”
ALL WOMEN ASYMPTOMATIC
Talking about precautionary measures, an official said: “The worrisome part is all women are asymptomatic. So we have to fumigate the operation theatres after every C-section. We raise an alarm so that corridors are vacated when a suspected mother is brought to the OT and then sent back to a separate room. We are trying our best to isolate suspects but due to patient rush, we have to keep two in one room.”
An official said: “Patient load is more at a government hospital, staff is limited and now we have to quarantine them, fumigate OTs, so we cannot take additional burden from other states, who should manage their own patients.”
Daily, there are around 15 admissions from Chandigarh and around eight from the adjoining states.
An official added: “This afternoon, an ambulance from Nalagarh dropped two pregnant women at the door-step of GMSH-16 and when a guard ran after the ambulance to stop it, it fled. The card they were carrying read, ‘There is no C-section facility at Nalagarh’.”
