LNJP Medical Director tests positive with COVID 19

New Delhi - The medical director of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital (LNJP Hospital) city's COVID dedicated facility, has tested positive for coronavirus infection, along with two more staffers.

Dr Suresh Kumar was appointed the medical director of the facility, Delhi government''s largest hospital, on May 17. "His sample was taken yesterday (Friday). He has tested positive. Two other staff members have also tested positive," a senior official said. The director of LNJP has been quarantined after being confirmed positive for Covid-19. Hospital authorities said he is stable and doing fine.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported about the appointment of the director. Dr Suresh Kumar, Director-Professor (Medicine) at MAMC had been appointed to the post with immediate effect, according to an order issued by the Delhi health department Dr J C Passey has been relieved of his duty as the medical director of the hospital with immediate effect, it said. Dr Paasey had only recently appointed as the medical director of LNJP Hospital, but the central government did not approve his appointment.

The Centre had recently directed the Delhi government to withdraw the appointment of Passey as the medical director of the LNJP Hospital owing to his age.

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"As soon as the director tested positive, we started contact tracing and around 30 healthcare workers, including senior doctors, got themselves tested. Two other staff members tested positive Saturday. The hospital's administrative block has been shut for sanitisation," a senior doctor from the hospital told The Indian Express.

Over 40 healthcare workers, including 17 resident doctors and 23 nurses, have tested positive for coronavirus at Lok Nayak. Resident doctors from the hospital said a nodal officer must be appointed to keep a track of healthcare workers testing positive.

"A dedicated nodal officer for Covid positive health workers has been a long-standing demand of doctors. Besides improving care for corona warriors, it would help analyse the route of infection and improve infection control practices," said Dr Parv Mittal, president of the Lok Nayak's resident doctors' association.

LNJP Hospital with 2,000 COVID beds; being a dedicated facility for COVID-19 patients, there is always a risk here, and doctors are getting affected across the country, an official said.

Earlier, the Dean of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and several doctors from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) tested positive for the virus.

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