HYDERABAD: A day after disconcerting news broke out that three post-graduate medical students and a mess worker from Osmania Medical College (OMC) have tested positive for Covid-19, two more PG students tested positive on Sunday, with swab results of three more being awaited.
Of the two infected medicos, one is a first year gynaecology student who was posted at the Government Maternity Hospital in Petlaburj. So far two gynaecology doctors from Petlaburj are infected with Covid-19. The other infected medico is a second year dermatology PG student whose source of infection is yet to be known.
This takes the total caseload to five from the OMC hostel premise at Koti. The sudden spike in cases has highlighted the poor handling of securing the doctors who are the frontline Covid warriors, pointed out the representatives of Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA).
Dr K U N Vishnu of TJUDA noted that the spurt in cases at Petlaburj is a warning for other tertiary hospitals. “At Niloufer Hospital, every day a patient is testing positive and the doctors who treated them are not tested. Worse still they are made to work until symptoms show. This way the health of not just doctors but also that of the patients is being compromised,” he said.
TJUDA wants govt to resume rotational duty system
The representatives of the Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA) further said that the government must resume the rotational duty system so that all doctors are not exposed. “In April, we followed a system where two-thirds staff worked and one-third, who worked in the previous week, were rested for five days. This way not everyone was getting exposed.
Now the full force is sent out to work,” said Dr Vishnu, adding that even if this was what the government wanted, they should routinely test all doctors who treat positive patients. Meanwhile, the authorities assert that all contacts of positive cases will be tested. “We are re-running tests on some students in whom the tests have shown borderline infection. With assistance of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), due protocols will be followed,” said Dr Shashikala, Principal of OMC.