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Facing space crunch, doctors urge J&K admn to home quarantine asymptomatic patients
As cases continue to rise in J&K’s Kashmir division, doctors here have asked the administration to allow asymptomatic patients to be home quarantined or in the next
As cases continue to rise in J&K’s Kashmir division, doctors here have asked the administration to allow asymptomatic patients to be home quarantined or in the next few weeks there would be acute dearth of beds both in hospitals as well as administrative isolation centres.
The apex advisory council comprising medical experts and senior doctors has also recommended home quarantine for such patients. The J&K administration had set up the council last month.
Till Friday evening, J&K recorded 9,888 cases and 159 deaths, 144 of which are from Kashmir division. The past one week has seen the highest number of cases and deaths in the Valley, creating lack of hospital beds and shortage of space as currently 38,509 are under home and administrative quarantine.
SKIMS (Bemina) chest medicine department head Prof Javaid Malik, who is also a member of the apex council, said they had sent several recommendations to the administration regarding medicines and other things. “We have recommended home isolation of asymptomatic patients and once the same is approved, it could be implemented across J&K,” he said adding that it is crucial to observe how the virus would behave in the next two to three weeks, especially in Kashmir.
“I have conveyed to higher officials that we should try home isolate asymptomatic patients to reduce the burden on quarantine infrastructure and the same should be done at the earliest,” said Dr Syed Masood, superintendent, Baramulla Government Medical College and Hospital.
He said they were creating additional 40 beds with oxygen and other facilities to meet the demand. “We had created 110 beds at Baramulla indoor stadium. It has been occupied completely and almost all the patients have no symptoms,” he added.
Earlier this week, after space at Covid-dedicated hospitals in Srinagar got exhausted, additional 140 beds were arranged at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital, however, still the patient load, especially those with bilateral pneumonia, has increased and the doctors are worried. They have asked people not to ignore the SOPs.
A senior consultant at Government Medical College and Hospital, Srinagar, said asymptomatic cases need to be at home. “Our beds are being occupied by asymptomatic patients, while sick patients are being referred from one place to another. The authorities should change the rules soon or the circumstances would force them to do that and things would get more complicated,” the consultant warned.
People, however, are blaming the administration for not taking things seriously in Kashmir.
“When the cases are rapidly increasing, the administration is watching like a mute spectator. People are not wearing masks and nobody fines them. Also, parks and gardens have been thrown open and at many places religious functions are being organised. This is adding to the problem,” said Bilal Ahmad, a social activist.
Meanwhile, two deputy commissioners from Baramulla and Kupwara districts of north Kashmir have announced closure of shops and business establishments at several places in the districts.
