Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has declared Wockhardt Hospital as the containment zone and no one can enter or exit the hospital. The decision has been taken after 30 Covid10 patients who are from the medical fraternity including 26 nurses and 3 doctors. Till the time all the patients will not be tested negative the hospital will become a no entry zone. They have sent more than 270 swab tests of the hospital staff for testing.
Additional Municipal Commissioner, Mr. Sunil Kakkani stated, “It is unfortunate that such a big cluster of cases has come from a medical facility. They should have taken precautions.”
The nurses from their residence in Vile Parle, Doctors from Seven Hills and SL Raheja Hospital, Mahim who are tested positive have been shifted to the quarantine wards in the hospital. It is believed that the source of the disease is a 70-year old heart patient who was tested positive and while nurses were attending him, they were not taking precautions. They were not tested, they were still living in the same place and were working regular shifts until the symptoms emerged. When they started showing the symptoms they were tested and declared positive and along with them their associate nurses were tested and those were also positive.
The nurses told that they were not given appropriate PPE’s while attending the patient, the nurses were not quarantined after the symptoms and were still working, but the hospital denied all the statements as baseless accusations. The UNA and Jan SwasthyaAbhyan officials said that, “The hospital has not given nurses access to their own test reports. Many who were in quarantine in hostels or other wards have been moved to the Covid ward. Some who were caring for the quarantined nurses have been admitted to the Covidward.”
The hospital has shut down its OPD, but the cafeteria remains operational to provide meals to hospital staff and patients. SavalaramAgawane, Senior Inspector of Agripada police station said they have deployed an officer and two constables to ensure minimal movement in the hospital especially the quarantine ward. On the other hand, UNA and JSA are pressuring the hospital to not deploy pregnant nurses in the Covid19 ward.
