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Our Correspondent
Kohima, April 14 (EMN): Two Covid-19 hospitals, Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK) and Ayush Hospital, Chedema have been identified and kept ready to treat positive patients of the novel coronavirus in Kohima district.
Officials of these two Covid-19 hospitals on Tuesday said that the hospitals were “well prepared” and “ready” to receive positive patients.
Nodal officer for Covid-19 hospital, Chedema, Dr. Seyiekhrietuo John said that “everything is ready for the patient”.
Currently, 28 beds have been kept ready and can be extended up to 40 when required, he said. For a certain type of symptomatic treatment, medicines were also ready, he added.
However, the part which ‘we are lacking is mock-drill’, he said, adding that they will start the exercise from April 15 with doctors; followed by the nurses and the grade IV attendants, particularly in managing waste.
‘All these are under process and unless these things are over, we can’t say that we are ready. But we are getting ready for any eventuality. Whatever may happen, we are ready with that,’ John said.
The nodal officer admitted that the Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) received were ‘not up to the standard’.
‘Top priority is to protect the nurses and health workers who are going to work inside the Covid-19 hospitals and deal with positive cases. Taking precautionary measures, the doctors should be well equipped. Good quality PPE is very important at this juncture,’ the doctor said.
However, one cannot blame the government or the department for they are trying their best to provide whatever is available in stock, he said.
“To complain about the quality of the PPE, pointing fingers at each other at this point is not appropriate. Rather, people have to put across their opinion, suggestions, work together, and help improvise one another,” the nodal officer added.
“We may not be like other states or other countries. But for a state like ours, I feel like that we are doing our best and the department is also giving its best,” he said.
As for the staff, he said that the entire manpower is not being used yet since there is no positive case so far. “Otherwise, at a go, manpower of eight in total should be kept. It can be increased depending on the number of patients,” he informed.
Currently, there are two ventilators—one fixed and the other is portable. The hospital also received a total of 7000 face masks (3 layer), two thermal scanners, 705 PPE, 1800 N-95 mask, 1000 (peer) sterile gloves and 6900 unsterile gloves, 535 bottles of hand sanitisers (inclusive of both 500ml and 100 ml), eight surgeon gowns and 70 surgeon masks, one spraying machine, etc.
Managing director of NHAK, Dr. Thorhusie Katiry said they were “well prepared” to face Covid-19. He informed that 50 beds were arranged but it could be extended up to 150 beds as and when required. There are two ventilators, 311 PPE, 113 N95 masks, and around 3000 triple layer masks.
He said that the PPE available were not enough and ‘we have to take extra care to prepare ourselves’. He had written to the directorate asking for more PPE on Tuesday.
They have started utilising the ones available, for the patients who come for testing. On Monday, 23 persons, who had travelled in the same flight with the patient who tested positive from Dimapur, turned up for testing.