Covid test: Pune civic body follows ICMR not state guidelines for pregnant women - Hindustan Times
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Covid test: Pune civic body follows ICMR not state guidelines for pregnant women

Hindustan Times, Pune | ByYogesh Joshi and Dheeraj Bengrut
May 29, 2020 04:14 PM IST

No emergency procedures, including deliveries, should be delayed for lack of test, reads clause number nine of ICMR protocol

Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has asked private hospitals not to make Covid-19 (coronavirus) test mandatory for patients undergoing emergency surgeries, including deliveries.

According to municipal commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad, some private hospitals are subjecting patients to Covid test before emergency surgeries.(Pratham Gokhale/Representative HT Photo)
According to municipal commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad, some private hospitals are subjecting patients to Covid test before emergency surgeries.(Pratham Gokhale/Representative HT Photo)

According to municipal commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad, some private hospitals are subjecting patients to Covid test before emergency surgeries.

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“Hospitals could be doing it for health reasons as doctors and nursing staff are at high risk of getting infected, but Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) test protocol clearly states no test is required,” said Gaikwad.

As per the state government order, which Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is following, all pregnant women from containment areas, including asymptomatic ones likely to deliver in the next five days, should be tested.

PMC, however, has yet to take a call on this, said Gaikwad.

As per the most recent testing protocol issued by ICMR on May 18, emergency procedure should not be delayed for asymptomatic patients in the absence of Covid test.

“No emergency procedures, including deliveries, should be delayed for lack of test,” reads clause number nine of ICMR protocol. The clause further states that sample can be sent for testing in case patient has Covid symptoms.

“We have already started implementing this protocol in Pune and have informed private hospitals,” said Gaikwad.

Dr Sanjeev Wavare, PMC assistant health chief, said, “The guidelines include testing of all symptomatic individuals with international travel history in last 14 days. We are testing as per the guidelines sent to us by ICMR on May 18 and there are no changes in it. The guidelines include testing of all symptomatic individuals with international travel history in last 14 days, and symptomatic health care workers and contacts of laboratory confirmed cases should be tested. All patients of severe acute respiratory infection (SARI), all symptomatic people within hotspots and containment zones and hospitalised patients who develop symptoms should be tested. And no emergency procedures, including deliveries, should be delayed for lack of test.”

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