COVID-19: Surgeries Put on Hold as Doctors Tests Positive in AIIMS Patna

14 of the 30 resident doctors and medical students in AIIMS, Patna test COVID positive, surgeries hit.

More than 1,700 doctors and other medical staff have been affected by Coronavirus across states.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

14 of the 30 resident doctors and medical student in the anaesthesiology department of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Patna, Bihar tested COVID positive forcing the halt of elective surgeries in the institution, the Hindustan Times reported.

Quoting the Dean of the institute, the report said that more than 150 hospital staff that includes 70 percent of the doctors have tested COVID positive till now.

“Six of our operation theatres (utilising) functioned for routine cases and three-four for emergencies on Friday. As of now, we are not sure how many OTs will function on Monday because three other resident doctors have reported unwell and we are awaiting their Covid-19 test report"

Dr Umesh Bhadani (Dean (academics) of the institute) to Hindustan Times

The dean further told that they are facing the scarcity as 14 out of 30 resident doctors have tested positive and they are utilising all resources to keep operation theaters (OTs) for emergency services operational.

The department of anaesthesiology has 12 faculty members out of 15 faculty members limit along with 20 post graduate students and 10 senior residents.

Though AIIMS, Patna has 33 fully operational theatres at its disposal it is able to man only half of them on normal days with the staff they have in the anaesthesiology department. Now that the pandemic has set it and the cases are increasing the number of functional OTs have been reduced further, the Dean averred.

Along with AIIMS, the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) too has stopped elective surgeries as of now. Both the hospitals have limited the number of patients to its outdoor patients department to 50 per day along with releasing phone numbers for OPD consultation under telemedicine facility.

(With Inputs from Hindustan Times)