After a gruelling month, Hyderabad's Gandhi hospital docs and staff breathe easy

Hyderabad: For the doctors, medical staff and private security personnel at the Gandhi hospital, a majority of whom were working round-the-clock -- the past one month had been gruelling amid a war like situation. Leave alone treating Coronavirus positive patients, they were at their wits end dealing with hundreds of individuals who were put in isolation wards, awaiting test reports.

While they continue to be in the frontline as they treat the Coronavirus positive patients, today was the first day after a long tiring month that the entire Gandhi hospital staff was able to breathe easy, slightly. With no individual being allowed inside the hospital for Coronavirus tests since yesterday, it came as a much needed break for hundreds of staffers at the hospital.

Another piece of relaxing news came in the form of shifting of the Gynaecology ward of Gandhi hospital to the Government Maternity hospital at Sultan Bazaar -- a move aimed at making Gandhi hospital exclusively for Coronavirus positive patients.

''Ever since the numbers of those who had to undergo tests began increasing, our patience and professionalism was put to test. Due to the massive rush, test reports would take two or more days and keeping them under strict watch in isolation wards was a challenging task. Many would get angry, abuse us and we had to bear their tantrums all the time,'' a doctor at the hospital told Deccan Chronicle.

Ever since the outbreak of the killer virus, several hundreds have got themselves tested at Gandh hospital and the real trouble started when more individuals started pouring in while the numbers of those awaiting test reports in isolation wards was already high.

He said that now that tests are no more done at the hospital, it was a first slightly relaxed day for them. ''But we are keeping our fingers crossed as we hope and pray the number of Coronavirus positive patients does not go up,'' he added.

At the main entrance of the hospital, an ambulance came to a halt this afternoon. ''Have you com here for testing ?'' enquired one of the security guards to a man seated in the ambulance. When he replied in the affirmative, the guard told him that he needed to proceed to the government hospital in King Koti for tests and isolation.

''Many persons came for tests since yesterday but we directed them to Koti hospital. Till a couple of days ago, we had to escort the persons to the help desk, take them in a lift to the seventh floor for Coronavirus test. We had to keep an eye on them as they would just disappear anywhere after waiting for several hours for tests. After the tests too, we had to be very watchful of them when they were in the isolation wards for a day or two. Now, all of this is over,'' said a security guard at the hospital.

The police too has stepped up security at the hospital -- with barricades all through till the main entrance, a sub-inspector and four constables on each floor. They further increased their strength at the hospital today.

''All these days when people were coming in for testing, the hospital resembled a overcrowded market with so much chaos and confusion. We were literally on the edge and on our toes all through, running around to get test reports, attend to those in isolation wards, testing them and then bear with them. It is indeed a major relief now,'' said a medical staffer at the hospital.
He said that now, all their energies will remain focused on treating the coronavirus positive patients alone. ''This way, we can get much better results and our confidence levels go up,'' he added.

GYNAECOLOGY WARD SHIFTED FROM GANDHI

Meanwhile, the gynaecology ward in Gandhi hospital has now been shifted to a premises in the Government Maternity Hospital, Sultan Bazaar.

Hospital sources said that the shifting of equipment and furniture from the gynaecology ward to the Sultan Bazar maternity hospital was completed by this evening.

All the doctors, nurses, lab technicians and other staff in the gynaecology ward were asked to report at Sultan Bazar from tomorrow. They will be working in three shifts.

''A separate building has been made available in Sultan bazar maternity hospital where the gynaecology ward of Gandhi hospital has been shifted. It will start functioning from tomorrow,'' sources said.

Over the past one week, four deliveries were performed at the ward in Gandhi hospital. ''The women had been admitted as they were suspected to be infected with Coronavirus. But luckily, all have tested negative and they will be discharged shortly,'' they said. On an average, over 30 deliveries are performed at Gandhi hospital daily.