HYDERABAD: The cardiology services at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) would be suspended as five more doctors from the department — four PG and one faculty — tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday. On Wednesday, four PG doctors from the department had tested positive for the highly contagious disease.
A similar situation is anticipated in the hospital’s gastroenterology department. According to sources, a senior doctor from the department tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday. The number of doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers from the cardiology department contracting the disease is expected to increase in the days to come as many of the staff are showing symptoms, officials at NIMS said.
In view of the situation, the decision to stop the department’s services was taken on Thursday. NIMS superintendent Dr N Satyanarayana told Express that the cardiology department’s services would be suspended and the building housing it thoroughly sanitised. All doctors and other staff testing positive would be treated at the hospital itself, he said. Already, the four who tested positive on Wednesday are being treated there. Cardiology is one of the biggest departments at NIMS, with over 200 staff.
Worried NIMS staff want govt to test them
Around one-fourth of NIMS’ cardiology department staff are doctors and the remaining are nurses, technicians, sanitation workers and other healthcare workers. The faculty and PG doctors from other departments are also worried as many of them came in contact with the doctors who have tested positive so far.
Senior doctors told Express that the State government should test all the employees of the hospital, regardless of whether they are symptomatic or asymptomatic. Over the past few days, several PG doctors and interns at Osmania Medical College have also tested positive for Covid-19.