Aug 22, Bhaktapur: A woman in Bhaktapur recently tested positive for COVID-19. Her travel history shows she had visited Dhulikhel Hospital for health checkup few days back. As she said she had gone nowhere except the hospital in the recent past. The Dhulikhel Hospital has been sealed off after its patients, medicos and local traders were tested positive for the virus. Similarly, another infected person from Koteshwor who had in the past visited the same hospital feared of virus spread in the community as many people from his locality took the hospital services. Some voices are heard blaming the negligence of hospital management in the spread of virus even to other districts. An owner of an eatery houses in front of the hospital said, “Hospital staffs and visitors of patients would visit his shop and the virus might have spread to the community due to this reason. It seems that the hospital was not much serious about the safety of employees.” Patient Ramnath Shrestha of Sanga said the hospital just managed the temperature screening to its entrance and no other effective safety measures were taken there. Similarly, a patient’s visitor said those medical and health workers deputed in several wards including dental one in the hospital were seen just wearing gown, mask and gloves but not personal protection equipment (PPE). The Kavrepalanchwok Public Health Office said the infections rate is increasing among the hospital staffs. Local Hari Sharan Karki believed that the hospital buses meant for providing transport services to its staffs who were also from Kathmandu, Bhaktapura and Lalitpur failed to practice the physical distancing guidelines. “Two people are seen sitting in a single seat which is against the government direction at the moment,” he added. Similarly, five members of a same family at Kajunje of Surya Binayak municipality-5 were diagnosed with the virus. As said by the Bhaktapur Public Health Office, the travel history of infected suggested that they used to visit the Nepal-Korea Friendship Hospital to see a patient. “People visiting the Madhyapur and Nagarik Community Hospital in Gatthaghar as non-COVID patients have contracted the virus,” complained patients and visitors. To date, 114 people have been tested positive for the virus in Bhaktapur. Bhaktapur’s Chief District Officer Humkala Pandey said a research was being carried out to find out the infection rates among those people who had visited different hospitals for several sorts of treatment. The CDO urged people not to visit hospitals during this crisis except for emergency. In view of Dr Salim Chaudhary, it would be better if the government takes the temporary ownership of limited medical colleges and hospitals and develop them as dedicated COVID-19 facilities instead of demanding private hospital to allocate a certain seats for COVID-19 patients. “It will be risky to treat COVID and non-COVID patients at the same facility. Nepal should take a lesson from the China’s model of treatment to respond with the crisis effectively.”
