KGMU staff against using limb centre building for Covid-19 patients
The medical university is currently running an isolation facility in its infectious disease department building but is looking at the option to dedicate more beds for Covid-19 patients.
King George’s Medical University (KGMU) task force on coronavirus has proposed to use the rehabilitation and artificial limb centre (RALC) building for Covid-19 patients, but the staff have opposed the move.
“If this building is dedicated to Covid-19 patients, three departments will be affected – orthopaedic, RALC and rheumatology. About 40% of the patients injured in accidents need orthopaedic treatment. This building is the only one in the state providing artificial limbs and also running PG (postgraduate) course,” said Arvind Nigam, secretary of the orthotics and prosthetics association, UP chapter, and former incharge of the workshop in the department.
The medical university is currently running an isolation facility in its infectious disease department building but is looking at the option to dedicate more beds for Covid-19 patients.
Prof SN Sankhwar, chief medical superintendent of KGMU, said, “We are coordinating with HoDs of the department that run in the building. The facility will come up in a way that does not harm patient care.”
The building has 300 points for oxygen supply and the medical university is planning to set up 200 beds for the isolation facility, according to those in the know of things. Oxygen supply will be maintained with the help of large cylinders.
“The building is expected to be ready in the next two weeks,” said Prof Sandip Tiwari, head of the department of trauma surgery. He is looking after oxygen supply on the campus.
The staff members, however, said the isolation facility should be set up away from residential areas.
“The best option will be to make an isolation facility take some big college outside the city,” said a staff of the RALC.
A 14-member committee was also formed to decide how the building will be utilised for coronavirus patients. The employee teachers’ joint front has written a letter to the principal secretary, medical education, to review the proposal by KGMU.