Naina Mishra in Chandigarh

For doctors and medical professionals at PGI, given the rush of patients on a routine day, dealing with a health crisis is a test they have to undergo often. Covid-19 is the newest challenge and a multi-disciplinary committee, constituted by the Director, has been given charge to face the challenge.

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The Department of Internal Medicine and Paediatrics has posted consultants and resident doctors for patient management in both screening areas as well as isolation wards.

The departments of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Virology have posted their residents for laboratory work and investigation of patients. Screening areas have been set up at different locations (Emergency and OPD).

“We have limited the number of OPDs as the rush had crossed to over 10,000 patients. They are potentially exposed to transmission of the virus. On Saturday, we recorded only 261 patients in OPDs. We are trying our level best to create space in case of a massive outbreak of positive cases,” says PGI Director Prof Jagat Ram.

Dr Raman Sharma, who is the Nodal Officer of Covid in PGI, says, “The burden has increased and it is a panicky situation, but we are hopeful that we will be able to deal with the crisis. We have a sufficient team of doctors and junior residents as the number of cases so far is limited.”

When asked about how doctors internalise such situations, Prof Mini P Singh of the Department of Virology, who certifies the sample report of Covid cases, says Team PGI is fully committed to the cause and “in this hour of crisis, it will be difficult to say how we are dealing with the epidemic with more number of people coming for screening”.

Dr Sonu Goel from PGI has been tasked with coordinating the training of over 2,000 para medical staff in Haryana and Punjab in case of an outbreak. The core skills required are pre-empting an epidemic or preventing by mitigating the transmission.

“We usually talk to them over telephone to make minimum contact with patients. Right now, we are able to cope with the situation as there are limited number of cases,” says Dr Lakshmi, who is co-ordinating contact tracing.

“Our doctors are leading from the front with utmost sincerity and dedication. We can test only 100 samples a day but the burden is immense as the patients are coming from Punjab and Haryana. I have promised whatever our doctors require for smooth testing,” says Director Prof Jagat Ram.

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WHO NEEDS TESTING: ICMR GUIDELINES

• All asymptomatic (no symptoms) individuals who have undertaken international travel in the past 14 days should stay in home quarantine for 14 days. They should be tested only if they become symptomatic (fever, cough, difficulty in breathing)
•  All family members living with a confirmed case should be home quarantined
• All symptomatic contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases should be tested
• All symptomatic healthcare workers should be tested
• All hospitalised patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (fever and cough and/or shortness of breath) should be tested
• All asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of a confirmed case should be tested once between day 5 and day 14 of coming in his/her contact

n Direct and high-risk contacts include those who live in the same household with a confirmed case and healthcare workers who examined a confirmed case without adequate protection as per WHO recommendations