Surge in Covid-19 cases triggers demand for hospital closure in Abbottabad

At least 28 employees of BBSH contract Covid-19 in 10 days

ABBOTTABAD: With over two dozen doctors at the Ayub Medical Complex (AMC) and the Abbottabad District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital testing positive for the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), medical staffers have demanded that the government close the health facility until it can be properly disinfected.

The district health office on Wednesday shared a list of 34 people who had tested positive for the virus. It included the names of 28 medical personnel including doctors, paramedics and staff of DHQ - which has been renamed as Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Hospital (BBSH). Of the health care staff affected, six are doctors, six are nurses, four are lady health visitors and the rest are allied staff at the BBSH. They were infected with the virus over the past 10 days, said the document signed by Dr Jawad Majeed. The list also includes four doctors and two nurses of AMC.

Meanwhile, doctors’ association in Abbottabad has expressed its reservations over the deficiency of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Addressing a news conference on Wednesday, K-P Provincial Doctors Association demanded that the government close BBSH for two weeks and reopen it only after it has been thoroughly disinfected.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2020.