Shocking Negligence By Mumbai Hospital Leaves 26 Nurses And 3 Doctors Infected With COVID-19

In a shocking incident, the Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai has been declared a containment zone by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) after as many as 26 nurses and three doctors tested positive for COVID-19 in a span of one week.

According to the BMC order, nobody would be allowed to enter or leave the hospital till everyone in it tests negative for COVID-19 twice consecutively. Until then only the hospital's canteen will be allowed to function and will provide food for those admitted.

BCCL

While the nurses who tested positive for have been shifted to the hospital from their quarters in Vile Parle, two of the infected doctors are admitted in SevenHills and one in SL Raheja Hospital, Mahim. There is also a fear that the cases of COVID-19 could go up further as swab samples of more than 270 hospital staff and some patients have been sent for tests.

"We have declared Wockhardt Hospital as a containment zone and have removed 30 doctors and nurses from there. We have shifted these COVID-19 suspected cases to the Seven Hills Hospital in Mumbai, where further tests will be carried out," said Vijay Khabale-Patil, chief public relations officer at BMC.

BCCL

Calling it an unfortunate incident, the BMC said that the hospital should have been more careful while dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak. The Municipal body has also launched a probe into the incident.

According to the United Nurses' Association (UNA), the largest associations of nurses in India the Wockhardt Hospital authorities had failed to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) and segregate suspected or confirmed COVID-19 nurses, which has resulted in the spread. In a letter to the Chief Ministers of Maharashtra and Kerala (most of the nurses are from Kerala) the UNA alleged shocking negligence from the hospital.

AP

According to UNA, the source of the spread was a 70-year-old man who was admitted to the hospital with a heart attack, who later tested positive for COVID-19 and died. He was reportedly admitted in the general ICU, along with other patients and two nurses who were attending him without any protection were the first to contract the virus.

They were also deployed in other wards and even used the same vehicle for transport Even after two nurses tested positive for COVID-19 on March 28, the hospital did not quarantine or test others who had come in contact with them. Only after more nurses started showing symptoms and becoming sick the hospital began testing more of its staff.