Lucknow: Laxmi Bai hospital closed as patient tests positive

Rani Laxmi Bai Hospital is a non-Covid hospital and the first government hospital to be closed under such circumstances.

Rani Laxmi Bai Hospital was closed for three days for sanitisation on Friday after a woman who came for treatment there, tested positive for coronavirus.

This is a non-Covid hospital and the first government hospital to be closed under such circumstances.

The destitute woman, who was mentally unwell and was brought here by cops on May 2, tested positive on Wednesday.

Nearly 50 staffers of the hospital were put under quarantine, admissions were stopped and the woman was shifted to Lok Bandhu hospital, which is a Covid hospital. The staff under quarantine is in the hospital. All patients of the Rani Laxmibai hospital admitted here were shifted to other non-Covid hospitals gradually.

The hospital has several departments including medicine, ophthalmology, cardiology and orthopaedics.

In all, seven private hospitals in the state capital have been closed so far after patients admitted there tested positive for coronavirus. One of them in Mahanagar area was closed for three days on Friday. The emergency unit of KGMU trauma centre was also closed for 36 hours after a similar incident.

“All staff under quarantine will be monitored and sampling will be done as per the requirement,” said chief medical officer Dr Narendra Agrawal.

The hospital will now open either on Monday or even later if the number of staff is not sufficient to run facilities there.