KURNOOL: For the first time after the outbreak of Covid-19 in the district, the Government General Hospital (GGH) does not have a single coronavirus patient undergoing treatment. The first Covid positive case was admitted to the GGH in March, 2020. The GGH has treated more than 70,000 Covid positive patients in the last 20 months.
With the decline in fresh Covid cases and increase in number of discharges in the past few weeks, the active count in the district came down to as low as 17 on Wednesday. All the 17 Covid patients are in home isolation.
The last patient, a 65-year-old woman from Jupadu Bungalow mandal, was discharged from the GGH in the morning, enabling it achieve the distinction of zero Covid cases. A railway worker from Rajasthan, who was staying at Nossam village in Uyyalawada mandal, had tested positive after he returned from his native place in March, 2020. It was the first Covid case in the district. The railway worker was admitted to the Kurnool GGH on March 24, 2020. When the first and second waves of Covid was at its peak, more than 1,100 patients underwent treatment at a time in the 1,050-bed government hospital.
GGH staff get relief after a long time as no Covid patient was admitted
The GGH set up temporary sheds using German technology to treat the increasing number of Covid patients when the pandemic was at its peak. Speaking to TNIE, Civil Surgeon Resident Medical Officer (CSRMO) Dr Hema Nalini, who is overseeing admission of Covid patients, said the GGH staff got some relief after a long time as no Covid patient was admitted to the hospital in the past 48 hours.
“We are waiting for this moment for the past few months,’’ she added. Dr Hema Nalini was the first Covid warrior in the district to get the vaccine jab. About 100 GGH staff, including a superintendent, heads of departments, professors and associate professors, had contracted coronavirus in the last 20 months while discharging their duties.
The GGH doctors had successfully performed nearly 3,000 deliveries of Covid-infected women. GGH Superintendent Dr Narendranath Reddy, who also tested positive for Covid during the second wave, appreciated the dedication of doctors, medicos and other staff in discharging their duties during the pandemic. The daily Covid count in the district has also come down to single digit.
Hospital with a distinction
As many as 876 doctors, 390 PG doctors, 206 house surgeons, 630 nursing, 150 paramedical, 316 sanitation, 175 security and 50 administrative staff are working in the Kurnool GGH, where about 1,500
inpatients undergo treatment on an average. It gets about 2,000 outpatients a day