By KNO on 30/03/2020.

Positive, negative patients treated together, allege patients

Srinagar, Mar 30: Amid the coronavirus outbreak, valley’s lone Chest Disease hospital continues to face government neglect and is grappling with shortage of basic facilities like sanitation, proper fencing etc.

According to wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), a Covid-19 patient from Budgam district of Central Kashmir alleged that there is no basic facility at CD hospital as the rooms, bathrooms and surroundings of the hospital are very dirty and the patients are ill-treated.

“I visited Delhi on March 16^th, returned back on March 18 and directly visited SKIMS and asked doctors for check-up but they behaved very rudely and asked me to go home after which I was at home from 18 to 25 March,” he said. “On March 25, a team of doctors took me to Chrar-e-Sharef hospital, from where I was shifted to CD hospital Srinagar where doctors change statements about me every day, one day they declare me positive and another day negative.”

He said that the facilities are very poor at CD hospital as even dogs sleep in the wards during night and the food that is provided to them is unhygienic. “No gap is being kept between patients suspects of Covid-19,” he alleged.

Before confirmation all patients are kept in a single room and once report comes, then patient is kept in isolation, he said. “All suspected persons must be kept in isolation at initial stage, otherwise his/her virus spreads to all till authorities wait for confirmation,” said another patient.

The hospital should have proper sanitation otherwise the health of the patients will deteriorate instead of recovering, he said.  “My relatives and friends contacted whole administration but nothing has been done so far,” he said. When contacted by KNO, doctors at CD hospital said that some of the grievances and complaints of patients are genuine and have taken up these issues with higher ups and will be redressed soon