LARKANA:Entire staff posted at 30-bed Isolation Ward established in Dental Department of Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH), Larkana, is at high risk due to unavailability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as four suspected cases are admitted there having symptoms and one of them belongs to Jacobabad has very clear Corona Virus symptoms.
Due to unavailability of PPE, no staff member is ready to go inside the ward and all of them feel highly insecure. This was revealed by credible sources while talking to this Scribe on Wednesday. These sources said that even test result of 83 suspected pilgrims who were brought directly from Taftan border on March 19 and were admitted to Quarantine Centre (QC) established at the Areeja Campus of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU), has not yet been declared despite passage of four days.
Sources said that their samples were taken two times, first time by one untrained doctor of CMCH ENT ward which were sent back and second time by another group of doctors who arrived from Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS). Finally samples were sent to Indus Hospital, Karachi, on 23rd March by I/C District Health Officer, Larkana, for analysis via Sukkur through helicopter, sources further disclosed. These sources said that if the PPE is not supplied by the provincial government due to any reason then the CMCH Medical Superintendent should procure out of annual CMCH budget as emergency situation prevails in the entire province after declaration of Corona Virus as pandemic. Sources further claimed that PPE is also not available at QC and the medical staff posted there is also extremely worried about their safety.
These sources further said that SMBBMU authorities had so far played no role for the QC patients and ENT Department of Chandka Medical College (CMC) remained unmoved. Sources said that SMBBMU I/C Registrar visited the QC on first day and after that they have forgotten their obligations. Finally CMC Principal Prof. Dr. K. Das realized legal and moral obligations after receipt of MS letter and deputed four Consultants, on on-call basis, on Wednesday. They include Prof. Dr. Aslam Soomro of Pulmonary Department, Dr. Jay Kishan, Associate Professor of Pathology, Dr. Liaquat Dargahi ENT Consultant and Dr. Sham Lal, Senior Registrar/Assistant Professor of Medicine.
On the other hand, two CMCH Additional Medical Superintendents of BPS-19), Dr. Hashim Bughio and Dr. Gul Shaikh, had a quarrel with each other in MS office over issuance of face N95 or any other surgical mask for personal use, sources alleged, which proves that CMCH is facing acute shortage of PPE even for its officers, doctors, nurses, paramedics and ministerial staff.
Meanwhile, police have taken no efforts to enforce lock-down in remote villages and rural areas of Larkana district where residents always gather and have joint sessions during leisure times. CMCH MS Dr. Ershad Hussain Kazmi was contacted to have his input but he did not attend any call.