Gurugram health dept asks pvt hospitals to share details of international patients

In the wake of the cases of new Covid variant -- Omicron -- found in various countries, the Gurugram health department on Monday asked private hospitals and diagnostic labsto share complete information of international patients twice a week

In the wake of the cases of new Covid variant -- Omicron -- found in various countries, the Gurugram health department on Monday asked private hospitals and diagnostic labsto share complete information of international patients twice a week.

Gurugram chief medical officer held a meeting with representatives of at least 10 major private hospitals and diagnostic labs. (HT Archive)

Health officials said that all the stakeholders were asked to keep strict vigilance regarding the new variant of concern, which is believed to be extremely transmissible.

The officials said that the 12 high-risk countries from where travellers would need to follow additional measures on arrival, including Covid-19 testing, are the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Israel.

On Monday, Gurugram chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Virender Yadav also held a meeting with representatives of at least 10 major private hospitals and diagnostic labsto check the Covid preparedness in the district.

Yadav said that samples of international travellers will be sent for genome sequencing if their Covid test report comes positive. “We have asked the private hospitals to share complete information of international travellers twice a week so that we can keep a record and can track them for contact tracing. We have also asked them to mention the correct address and mobile number of an international patient,” he said.

The officials also said that separate testing camps have been set up for international travellers outside two government hospitals and several private hospitals across the district, as hundreds of foreign nationals visit Gurugram every week for medical treatment. On Monday, 3,441 Covid tests were conducted in the district, the officials said.

“We are also doing a random sampling of the passengers since July this year and 5% of the samples are sent for genome sequencing to Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) in Rohtak,” he said.

Central guidelines say that travellers coming from countries ‘at risk’ have to undergo RT-PCR testing on arrival.

Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, group medical director, Max Healthcare, said that they have deputed additional manpower at their flu clinics across network hospitals to cater to any surge in the coming days. “Patients arriving from the designated countries or those who declare a travel history to these in the last fortnight are undergoing a compulsory RT-PCR test. We are ensuring strict adherence to Covid appropriate behaviour at our facilities and are well-equipped to deal with any emergency,” he said.

On Monday, the district reported eight fresh Covid-19 cases while 13 people recovered from the infection, according to the state government data. There are 65 active cases in the district, of which 61 are in home isolation and four are hospitalised, the officials said.

The officials said 10,636 people were vaccinated on Monday, with 2,417 being administered the first dose and 8,219 the second dose. Over 3.84 million people have been vaccinated in Gurugram so far.

According to the health department, they are monitoring all residential areas and if cases are reported from any area, the district administration declares it a containment zone.