12 Osmania med students now have Covid-19

Canteen worker reportedly infected doctors; students say guidelines not followed

A total of 12 post-graduate doctors have tested from Osmania Medical College (OMC) have positive for Coronavirus including four gynaecologists. The results of 170 samples taken from other PG students are awaited.

A canteen worker in the mess used by doctors at Petlaburj government maternity hospital was suffering from cold and fever. But he came to work despite these symptoms, and this spread the infection among the PG students, sources said.

The worker tested positive on May 29; the postgraduates started showing symptoms after that. He is now undergoing treatment at Gandhi Hospital.

An aggrieved post-graduate student said, “ICMR guidelines for testing healthcare workers are frequently not being followed. Asymptomatic direct or high risk contacts of a confirmed case have to be tested on day five and 10. But that is not happening.”

The student said the isolation ward in Osmania General Hospital looks like a normal general ward as no guidelines are being followed. “Suspected and positive patients are mingling with each other. Due to this, there is rise in cases and extreme exposure of healthcare workers,” the student said.

Telangana Junior Doctors Association has approached director of health and medical education Dr K. Ramesh Reddy and told him that regular screening of healthcare workers.

TJDA asked Dr Ramesh Reddy that sufficient personal protection equipment and N95 masks must be provided to all. They have also appealed for more testing of healthcare workers as this incident has shown how vulnerable they all are.

TJDA has also requested that pregnant healthcare workers must be exempted from Covid19 duties. The post-graduates and junior doctors say there is a dire need to ramp up testing, and enforce strict containment measures to limit the exposure of healthcare workers. They have demanded a head-on approach to testing and tracing to control the situation.