KOCHI: With expatriate Malayalis starting to return to the state, major private hospitals in the district are gearing up to assist the government in testing samples and treating suspected Covid-19 cases if there is a crisis. Besides private laboratories DDRC and EI Lab Metropolis, Aster Medcity and Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) have also received the approval from the Indian Council of Medical Research for conducting Covid-19 tests in Kochi.
“We are waiting for the test kits. The health department has told us that they would brief us about conducting tests, if and when the need arises. If the number of non-resident Keralites arriving from abroad goes up, there is high likelihood of suspected cases going up and we may need to pitch in. We are prepared for the worst,” said Dr Anup R Warrier, Department of Infectious Disease and Infection Control at Aster Medcity.
“A separate tower has been arranged for treating suspected Covid-19 patients, without affecting non-Covid patient care and treatment. Around 22 ICU beds and 30 non-ICU beds are at the ready,” he said. The state government has mandated seven-day institutional quarantine for all foreign returnees. If they test negative after that, they will be allowed to leave and asked to be under home quarantine. If anyone shows any symptoms during home quarantine, treatment facilities in major private hospitals can be utilised with the government’s approval.
“As the Health Department has clarified, swab samples of arriving expatriates will be tested by government agencies at the airport itself before they are placed in institutional quarantine. If someone tests negative after that but requires treatment later, or if an asymptomatic persons develops any symptoms and seeks medical help at our hospital, we need to be ready for it. We cannot take any risk,” said Dr Joseph K, Consultant, Internal Medicine and Diabetology, VPS Lakeshore.
“We have the required number of personal protection equipment (PPE) and N95 masks in stock. We expect to receive suspected cases any time now,” he said. Sources said AIMS has also readied an entire block with over 200 beds in the hospital for the purpose.