Hindu Rao Hospital shut after nurse tests positive, probe likely soon

It was learnt that the nurse is about 30 years old and had been recently shifted from one of the AYUSH dispensaries to the hospital.

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation decided to temporarily shut down its biggest hospital, Hindu Rao, at Malka Ganj after one of its nurses tested Covid-19 positive on Saturday evening.

The hospital is spread across 14.3 acres and is a designated ‘Covid screening centre’ by the Delhi government and is currently not conducting any surgeries.(Sanchit Khanna/HT file photo)

The hospital is spread across 14.3 acres and is a designated ‘Covid screening centre’ by the Delhi government and is currently not conducting any surgeries. Only a few departments like gynaecology, medicine and partially the pediatrics department is functioning here right now.

The north body commissioner, Varsha Joshi, said on Saturday, “Late evening, a nurse on duty at HRH is found positive. Since she has been on duty in various locations within the campus over the last two weeks, we are closing down the hospital till we fully sanitise it and complete contact tracing. Only some patients are admitted right now in gynae ward, we will make appropriate arrangements for them.”

Senior officers of the corporation said that the nurse had developed fever about one week ago but was still called for duty. “She met so many doctors and nurses in between at the hospital, all will have to be quarantined.”

Joshi said, “There appears to be definite negligence at some level here. It’s too early to pinpoint exactly who are responsible since we came to know only now. We will have a thorough inquiry into this aspect and we will not spare those responsible.”

It was learnt that the nurse is about 30 years old and had been recently shifted from one of the AYUSH dispensaries to the hospital.