SHILLONG: The emergency services of NEIGRIHMS, which were suspended after a BSF personnel tested positive on Thursday, will reopen from Saturday afternoon, officiating Director Dr P Bhattacharya said on Friday.
Clarifying the factors that led to the suspension of all medical services to outdoor patients, he said, “A patient from BSF who had been admitted for surgery had first tested COVID negative on July 1 and was therefore taken to multiple areas for MRI, ultrasound etc. He had also come in contact with healthcare staff as he was admitted in the Orthopedics ward (non-COVID) on July 4. He developed fever during his stay and on Thursday a repeat RT-PCR was done which was positive. The patient has now been shifted to the COVID ward.”
“On Friday we had to sterilise all the rooms and medical equipment used, do contact tracing by stratifying high risk and low risk contacts”, Dr Bhattacharya informed.
He also said that 28 individuals have been quarantined while over 100 people have been assessed to be low-risk contacts.
He, however, said that the number of low-risk contacts (staff) may increase by Saturday, but they would continue work while high-risk contacts were likely to go into quarantine.
He appealed for maintaining calm and not to panic because all care was being taken to ensure that the COVID spread is contained.
“We are trying to build rapport with staff and the administration to ensure that those who have come in contact with the patient are quarantined and their family members are taken care of. But it would be a good community gesture for the residents of the localities where the health workers live to assist their family members and ensure that food and groceries and other essentials reach them. This is the time for community bonding, not for discrimination or stigmatisation,” Dr Bhattacharya said.
