Covid alert: 2-3 patients including infants share bed in SMGS Hospital
Situation inevitable, can’t deny treatment to anyone, says HOD Paediatric department
Post by Arvind Sharma on Sunday, April 9, 2023
Jammu, Apr 08: With the rise in Covid-19 cases, the situation at the Shri Maharaja Ghulab Singh (SMGS) Hospital, Jammu, has become worrisome as 2 to 3 infants are admitted on a single bed in various wards.
Not only the infants, but the women are also facing the same situation in the Jammu region’s premier maternity and paediatric hospital. These infants can be seen on one bed in different wards of the hospital. The situation is even worse and worrisome in the emergency ward of Jammu’s leading maternity and childcare hospital.
In Ward-19, the emergency ward of the SMGS Hospital for infants, 2 to 3 or at times 3 to 4 infants can be seen lying on one bed. Not only this, the labour room speaks volumes about the blatant violation of Covid norms.
There is hardly any bed in the labour room of the hospital where one can find one bed and one woman on that. On almost every bed in the labour room, one can find at least two women occupying one bed.
Some experts, wishing anonymity, told Rising Kashmir that it is a worrisome situation as the surge in Covid cases is being witnessed in the past some days not only in J&K but across the country.
Head, Department of Paediatrics (HoD), Dr Ganshyam Saini, told Rising Kashmir that 2 to 3 infants are admitted to the hospital on any given day. He said the present situation is inevitable and there is nothing much one can do.
“SMGS Hospital is the premier maternity and paediatric hospital of the Jammu region and you cannot deny treatment to anyone visiting the hospital,” he said.
Dr Saini, however, said the situation is expected to improve once the upcoming 274-bedded Gynaeing block is completed and becomes operational.
The Union Health Ministry has already sounded the Covid alert and passed directions in this regard as the cases have increased in various states across the country. It has advised the states to stay alert and be prepared for Covid-19 management.
The advisory has also been issued to identify hotspots. It has asked the states to conduct mock drills of all hospitals’ infrastructure on April 10 and 11 and review the preparedness.
