Covid-19 mayhem in Delhi government hospitals, over 100 doctors test positive

New Delhi: Covid-19 mayhem caused in major government hospitals in the national capital as more than 100 doctors have been reported to test positive across the hospitals and are presently under isolation.

The Covid outbreak amid already low strength of doctors reported due to the delay in NEET-PG counseling related protests, has affected the functioning of the hospitals as well.

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According to a media report in The Indian Express, out of the doctors who tested positive for Covid-19, 50 are from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), 50 from Safdarjung, 15 from Ram Manohar Lohia and 20 from Hindu Rao hospital. However, the numbers would likely go up if other hospitals are also taken into account.

AIIMS:

In AIIMS, 65 staff members including doctors have tested positive for Covid and are under isolation. Subsequently, the winter vacations scheduled to end on January 10 was cancelled; with the staff being called back early. The Medical Dialogues team had also reported about the cancellation of the winter vacation for the medical staff of AIIMS, Delhi.

According to a resident doctor at AIIMS, 50-70 doctors have been affected due to Covid. The doctor said, "We have WhatsApp groups in which people keep posting. The exact number is not known but in every department, there are more than five to six cases and the total number could even be more than 70."

Safdarjung hospital:

Around 40 positive covid cases have been reported by the microbiology department, whereas there are ten cases of doctors who were tested outside, said a resident doctor. He added that the biggest challenge faced by the hospital is shortage of staff due to the non-admission of new bathes due to the delay in counseling. The protests due to the delay in NEET-PG counseling have been reported across the country recently, about which the Medical Dialogues team had reported in detail. The hospital has more than 2000 doctors.

A doctor stated, "This time, the infection is mild and most of the people are either asymptomatic or have symptoms like fever and sore throat. The problem is not hospital beds getting full; the problem is a shortage of manpower. Currently, one of the units (every department has four to five units) has run out of resident doctors because all of them are in isolation."

The heads of all the departments in the hospital have been instructed to make a report every morning on the number of people testing positive for Covid in their department.

Hindu Rao hospital:

Over 20 doctors of the hospital have been tested for covid-19 and are under quarantine, said the Hindu Rao resident doctors' association president Tanuraj Tyagi. The hospital has 350 resident doctors and around 50 senior doctors, including those from orthopaedic, surgery and paediatrics departments.

Ram Manohar Lohia hospital:

The sources in the doctor's union of the hospital have state that over 20 have tested positive for Covid.

According to resident doctors at the hospitals, many healthcare workers have been showing symptoms of covid but they are not getting tested and the situation can turn worse in the upcoming days, reports The Indian Express.

Safdarjung, AIIMS, RML and Hindu Rao are dedicated Covid facilities. The government orders have directed all private hospitals and nursing homes in Delhi with 50 beds or more to reserve at least 40 per cent of their total bed capacity – that is, 40 per cent of ward bed capacity and 40 per cent of lCU bed capacity – for Covid patients.

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