Bhubaneswar: COVID-19 related safety measures are being flouted with impunity at the BMC-run hospital here at Old Town, alleged some persons who visited the hospital recently.
Apart from Old Town residents, people from nearby areas like Sishupalgarh and Dhauli depend on this hospital. Hundreds of patients visit the BMC hospital here daily.
Khurda district in the last few weeks has been reporting the highest number of COVID-19 positive cases daily. Out of those, a large number of cases are being reported from the state capital. The Bhubaneswar Municipality Corporation (BMC) has been advising people to follow COVID-19 guidelines to check the spread of the disease. However, rules are being broken with impunity at the BMC-run hospital itself. This has shocked many.
Thermal screening of patients visiting the hospital has long been stopped. A number of patients accompanied by their relatives have also not been wearing masks. The management of the hospital is yet to enforce rules strictly.
Also there is no method in place to keep COVID-19 patients separated from others. All types of patients can be seen standing in the same queue.
“There should be a separate queue for suspected COVID-19 patients. Standing in queue with COVID-19 patients will increase the chance of others getting infected by the virus. Social distancing norms are also not being followed,” some visitors alleged. They added that sanitisation of the hospital premises are not being conducted on a regular basis.
When contacted, the hospital’s chief medical officer Jitendra Bebartta said thermal testing has been stopped at the hospital since the introduction of antigen test. However he evaded questions when asked why suspected COVID-19 patients were standing in the same queue with others. He however, informed that there are two separate registration counters – one for COVID-19 patients and another for people suffering from other diseases. However, failed to give a proper answer as to why the counters were not being used in a proper manner.
PNN