PMCH sets up 25-bed Covid unit for staff after 60 test positive

The Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) has set up an exclusive 25-bed unit for its healthcare workers who contract coronavirus, after around 60 employees, including its principal, have been infected despite most having completed their vaccination schedule

The Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) has set up an exclusive 25-bed unit for its healthcare workers who contract coronavirus, after around 60 employees, including its principal, have been infected despite most having completed their vaccination schedule.

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The Covid-19 unit, exclusively for doctors and paramedics, is expected to be functional by Wednesday. It has five ICU beds with ventilator support. The unit has been set up near the Indira Gandhi Central Casualty, earlier being used for vaccination, which has, in turn, been shifted to the other end of the hospital, housing the skin and venereal disease department earlier, said PMCH superintendent Dr IS Thakur.

In setting up an exclusive Covid-19 unit for its staff, the PMCH has been able to spare 20 beds in the Covid-19 wards for general patients, taking its bed capacity to 120.

Meanwhile, the PMCH has its own share of worries after almost 60 staff have so far tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 virus.

“At least 20-30 of the 60 staff infected at our institution are doctors. A senior doctor in the pulmonary medicine department, re-employed post superannuation, has also tested positive for the virus on Tuesday,” said PMCH principal Dr Vidyapati Choudhary.

“Though asymptomatic, I decided to get myself tested after my daughter, who is doing her internship at the Patna Dental College, got infected. I am now under home quarantine,” added Dr Choudhary.

“The doctors infected include four resident doctors of the medicine department, two tutors of microbiology department, a postgraduate student of ENT, a senior resident of the department of surgery and another of clinical pathology,” said Dr Thakur.

“This is the second time the senior resident from the surgery department has contracted the infection. He was infected last year as well,” added Dr Thakur, who is also the professor and head, department of surgery, PMCH.

At least five students of the General Nursing Midwifery (GNM) school at the PMCH had also been infected. The administration has since closed the nursing school and sent the students on home quarantine.

Meanwhile, the AIIMS-Patna was increasing its capacity of beds for Covid-patients from 115 to 145 by Wednesday after a sudden surge in demand for hospital beds.

The state government on Tuesday deputed three IAS officers for one week to oversee arrangements and availability of beds for Covid-19 patients at the PMCH, the Nalanda Medical College Hospital and the AIIMS, government managed medical colleges in Patna.

Bihar has a capacity of 21,203 beds for Covid-19 patients at its dedicated Covid hospital, dedicated Covid healthcare centre and the Covid care centres. Of the available 15,883 beds, 14,974 were vacant and remaining 909 occupied as on Monday.