CUTTACK: A special unit with 20 beds will come up at the SCB Medical College and Hospital (MCH) this week to segregate patients with coronavirus symptoms. The unit will be established in the space between Casualty and Surgery department.
"People suffering from cold, cough and fever and needing emergency health care service will be admitted to the unit instead of being shifted to Casualty," informed Associate Professor and in-charge of SCBMCH Casualty Dr Atanu Mohanty. The patient would be shifted to an isolation ward or Covid-19 hospital if tested positive for coronavirus infection.
The MCH authorities were not able to set up an isolation room at the Casualty where 40 beds have been arranged adjacent to each other owing to space crunch. And in the absence of an isolation ward, patients testing positive have to stay for hours on their beds in close proximity to other patients in the Casualty before being shifted to the isolation ward or the designated COVID hospital. At least eight hospital staff including a medical officer, three nurses and four attendants have so far been infected by coronavirus at the Casualty.
On an average, 500 to 600 patients visit the Casualty to avail emergency healthcare services. Of them, around 200 patients are admitted to the hospital. "A separate block has been developed on the vacant space in between the Casualty and Surgery department to segregate patients with COVID-19 symptoms from other patients at the Casualty. Apart from decreasing the patient load, the 20-bed new unit will help in preventing coronavirus infection in the Casualty," said Dr Mohanty.
Besides, steps are being taken to provide ultrasound and different blood test facilities to patients on an emergency basis at the Casualty soon. The ultrasound machine has already been installed and it will start operation within 15 days.
Patients at Casualty depend upon the Radiology department for ultrasound and their attendants have to wait in a long queue at the Regional Diagnostic Centre (RDC) to register for blood tests of their patients. To address issues like this, different diagnostic facilities will be made available on an emergency basis at the Casualty, informed Dr. Mohanty.