THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For the first time in the state, a homoeopathic medical college will become a first-line Covid care centre. The Government Homoeopathic Medical College Hospital at Iranimuttom, here, will admit asymptomatic and stable patients (Category E) who tested positive. Allopathy doctors and nurses will be deployed at the hospital. According to health department, the facility should be functional in two days with the department fine-tuning the duty roaster, supplies and other preparation works.
“The centre will admit asymptomatic and stable patients. We are not sure as to when we will start admitting patients, probably once the General Hospital is also saturated. The faculty and medical staff here at the Medical College will assist. We already held an awareness and preparatory class for the staff on Thursday,” said Dr Sunil Raj, principal and controlling officer in-charge, Government Homoeopathic Medical College.
The hospital will provide 40 doctors, post-graduate students and the GNM nurses for assistance. A total of hundred beds have been arranged in separate pay wards for men and women. The authorities also expect that they will have to house some of the staff as many live in paying guest facilities. Seven OPs of the hospital, the hospital laboratory and pharmacy will be functional on all days for normal patients.
“We also have a PG hostel here which can be utilised to house them if some works are done. Our staff is prepared for the work. We even attend ICU cases here regularly and thus have experience in handling severe cases. The staff is being familiarised with the Covid protocols. We will have regular patients enter through the main gate and Covid patients through the second gate,” said Dr Sunil Raj. Expanding the first line treatment centres with more staff at disposal will help in ensuring that all the patients get sufficient attention and space. As of now, Covid-19 positive patients are only admitted to Government Medical College, General Hospital, and Sree Avittom Thirunal Hospital.
No new positive case in district
T’Puram: The district received a respite from the Covid-19 threat on Thursday with no fresh case being reported. As many as 777 people were newly put under observation as part of containment efforts. While 202 people are under hospital isolation, 992 people are under institutional quarantine in 52 centres in the district. A total of 13,620 people are under home quarantine. On the day, 32 persons were admitted to hospital while 44 were discharged. Of the 448 samples sent for testing, 345 results received were negative.
582 cases of lockdown violation
T’Puram: The police on Thursday registered 582 cases and arrested 667 people for violating lockdown guidelines across the state. Nine people were booked for jumping quarantine. There were 2,648 instances of people not wearing masks in public places. In Thiruvanan-thapuram district, 133 cases and 147 arrests were recorded, while 144 cases and 145 arrests were registered in Kollam.