E-Paper
No separate facility for women patients at L3 Covid-19 hospitals
Female patients lodged at state government’s dedicated L3 category Covid hospital — Meerut Medical College — have been caught in a bind.
Female patients lodged at state government’s dedicated L3 category Covid hospital — Meerut Medical College — have been caught in a bind.
They have been lodged along with male patients without any privacy in a single ward, which some of them claimed also didn’t have proper facilities. The dedicated L3 category hospitals have been identified and created by the UP government for treating critical Covid-19 positive patients.
The UP government has come up with three-layered health care facilities – L1, L2 and L3 dedicated Covid hospitals – in order to fight the Coronavirus outbreak in the state.
The L1 category hospitals deal with normal Covid-19 positive patients while the L2 hospitals are ones where patients are facing other complications along with Covid-19 are admitted. The L3 category hospitals are meant for admission of Covid-19 positive patients who require critical care. there are 6 L3 hospitals in the state, with one on Meerut
“The major issue, which has been a cause of concern, is that both male and female patients are lodged in one dormitory-type ward and there is no privacy. The ward seems to have been recently opened after being shut for around six months. There is no fixed timing for food being served and paranthas and potato curry is served to us, which is not recommended for patients suffering from co-morbid conditions,” said a female patient from Ghaziabad, who suffers from cancer and tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this week.
She said that there are no hangers available inside the bathroom and she had been using a wet towel as a sponge to clean herself, instead of taking a bath. She added that there was no space available for drying clothes.
“Doctors at a private hospital where i was getting treated earlier had recommended timely food and proper diet in order to maintain my immunity. I am already weak after my chemotherapy sessions and there is a major disruption in my schedule here. There is not enough space to even take a walk here as advised by doctors. I would rather go back home and remain in isolation there,” she added.
The husband of another patient from Ghaziabad said that his wife has cancer and had tested positive for Covid-19 on April 23.
“Her cancer treatment was going on at a hospital in Delhi when she tested positive. We approached the Ghaziabad health department on Saturday and an ambulance shifted my wife on Sunday to Meerut Medical College. There, she has been lodged with other male patients in the same ward. There is no fixed schedule for food distribution and the ward is unhygienic ,” said the woman’s husband.
“Such wards need to follow proper and regular sanitization, more so when cancer patients are lodged in them. Back home I installed an air purifier for her so that she can breathe properly. But here at the hospital, there is no proper ventilation as well,” he added.
Dr TS Arya, the medical superintendent of the L3 hospital at Meerut, said that the shortcomings at the facility had come to his notice and proper arrangements will be made for women patients.
“There is no segregation of male and female patients in the ward and we will look into that so that women patients get the privacy they require. At present we have shifted all women patients to a particular section of the ward. Regular sanitisation of ward is being carried out and we will try to reserve washrooms for women soon. The other issues l— ike timely food and type of food — will also be reviewed,” Dr Arya said.
He added that the L3 facility has 38 Covid-19 patients at present, besides 7-8 suspected cases.
“We have about 200 beds reserved for isolation with 20 beds at ICU. There are 40 other beds which are reserved for suspected cases. At present we are conducting the second round of Covid test on patients after 13 days. If it turns negative then another test is conducted within 24 hours. If two consecutive tests are negative, then the patient is discharged. But patients with comorbid conditions may require further treatment,” he added.
According to the state health department officials, about 79.15% of male patients have got infected while the percentage of females is 20.85% across the state.
In Ghaziabad, the health department officials also admitted that they have no separate arrangements for women patients at L1 and L2 facilities as well.
“We have not reserved spaces or wards for women patients at our L1 category hospital at Muradnagar (30 beds). The L1 attached hospital (76 beds) at Sahibabad has different rooms which can be reserved for women patients. Likewise, the L2 category hospital at Sanjay Nagar (100 beds) also has different rooms which can be reserved for women patients. We will also reserve washrooms for them. I will issue directions to our government hospitals to reserve or separate facilities for women,” said Dr NK Gupta, chief medical officer at Ghaziabad.
