Mumbai: Two days after 10 nurses tested positive for coronavirus, 16 more nurses and three doctors have been infected at Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai Central, following which the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) declared the hospital a containment zone on Sunday
This comes after the hospital administration failed to take necessary steps to control the spread of the infection after two nurses tested positive, contracted it in the process of treating CoVID-19 patients. Given that both staff and patients were sharing the use of facilities like the canteen and bathrooms, several nurses tested positive.
Suresh Kakani, Additional Municipal Commissioner (health), said there are 30 hospital staffers who are tested positive for corona following which they have sealed the hospital and none of the staffers would be allowed to go out until they test negative. “It is the fault of the hospital administration that they didn’t take precautionary measures, due to which nearly 300 staffers have been quarantined. We have also set up a team to probe how the virus spread among so many in a hospital setting,” he said.
Meanwhile, the nurses who tested positive have been shifted to the hospital from their quarters in Vile Parle, while two of the infected doctors are admitted to SevenHills and one to SL Raheja Hospital, Mahim. The swab samples of more than 270 hospital staff and some patients have been sent for tests.
Wockhardt Hospital alone has reported 30 cases, more than the number in many city wards. According to data, only G-South and D wards have over 30 cases.
Hospital staff have alleged that the infection spread rapidly as the management failed to quarantine the colleagues and roommates of the infected nurses. The United Nurses' Association said those who got sick were not tested or taken off duty till symptoms emerged, and were not given PPE despite their charges being suspected CoVID-19 patients.
"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 also been admitted to the CoVID ward," said the UNA and Jan Swasthya Abhiyan in a joint letter, claiming that both the CoVID-19 wards of the hospital are full.
