HYDERABAD: The Telangana government has roped in private hospitals and medical colleges to tackle the possibility of a Coronavirus outbreak in the State.
Health Minister Etela Rajender, after a review meeting here on Tuesday, said, “We have spoken to private teaching hospitals in the city and have requested them to provide space and beds for an additional 2,000 isolation beds if the situation worsens. Communication is under way.”
Nevertheless, as the techie, who had tested positive for the virus, had spent two days at Apollo Hospital, Secunderabad, citizens are worried about visiting hospitals.
Allaying such fears, the Minister said, “We have also instructed private hospitals to record the travel history of all the patients that visit their hospitals, regardless of the symptoms. Additionally, private hospitals have also been directed to set up separate outpatient department wards for people with symptoms similar to influenza.”
Upon being asked if Apollo Hospital had disinfected the said outpatient ward, a spokesperson of the Hospital told Express, “We clean and disinfect the wards everyday. The safety and protection protocol for H1N1 is similar to that of Coronavirus. The patient was immediately isolated and put under observation. Our doctors and health professionals followed personal protection protocols as well.”
Preventive measures in place
Mayor Bonthu Rammohan said the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) would take preventive measures to control the spread of Coronavirus in the city.
He also called upon people not to fall prey to false propaganda spread by the private hospitals with an aim to fleece patients.
In the light of 24-year-old Hyderabad techie contracting the virus, Mayor said, “The Telangana Medical and Health Department has initiated several measures to check the spread of the virus”. He also urged people not to panic and use disposable napkins while sneezing or coughing.
The Mayor said Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar is constantly monitoring the situation and issuing timely instructions to Ministers and senior officials to tackle the disease.
Meanwhile, as a precautionary measure, the GHMC has sanitised the techie’s house who lives at Ravi Colony in Mahendra Hills and the surrounding areas as well.
To create awareness on the issue, the GHMC has decided to put up hoardings and banners at important places and distribute pamphlets asking people to take precautionary measures to avoid contracting the virus.
Earlier too, the State government has been successful in tackling serious outbreak of diseases like swine flue and dengue and this would be no different, the Mayor said and added that the government was setting up special isolation wards for treating Coronavirus patients.