40 staffers from Bhabha Hospital under quarantine

Around 40 staff members including nurses, lab assistants and paramedical staff of KB Bhabha Hospital in Bandra (West) have been quarantined after a patient, who

Around 40 staff members including nurses, lab assistants and paramedical staff of KB Bhabha Hospital in Bandra (West) have been quarantined after a patient, who tested positive for Covid-19, died at the hospital, an official said on Monday.

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has identified only high-risk staff for possible exposure to coronavirus as of now. However, employees of the civic-run hospital demanded that the entire staff be quarantined as precaution without further delay.

“As of now, we have identified our 40 staff members who have been exposed to a Covid-19 patient, and kept them in quarantine. Swab samples of these employees have been sent for test,” said Pradeep Jadhav, medical superintendent at the hospital.

Dr Daksha Shah, deputy director, the health department of the BMC, said, “It is not necessary to quarantine those who were not exposed to patient. But we are ready to do it if required.”

The 45-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital’s general ward on Saturday and died on Tuesday following severe breathing difficulty.

Hospital staff, however, had mixed reaction to the BMC’s move, with many disappointed as their family members have not been put in quarantine as well. On Wednesday morning, over 150 nursing staff, paramedics and other workers of hospital also staged a protest.

“Yes, it is good to move to quarantine 40 staffers. But, what about the other employees and our family members? We demand immediate quarantine of all staffers,” said Bharat Katare, a medical staff who was among the protesters.

Bhatia Hospital stops non-emergency services

After Jaslok and Wockhardt hospitals, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has stopped all non-emergency services at Bhatia Hospital after three patients were diagnosed with coronavirus.

After three symptomatic patients, admitted there, tested positive for Coronavirus BMC collected swab samples from 70 hospital employees as per protocol.

BMC has also taken swab samples of around 20 staffers from Hinduja Hospital in Khar after a Covid-19 patient got diagnosed. The patient is stable and has been to Seven Hills Hospital. “The OPD and emergency services will be functional. However, we have shut down the ICU, where the patient was admitted, temporarily,” said an official from the hospital.

(With inputs from Rupsa Chakraborty)