LANDI KOTAL: Surveillance of the Covid-19 suspected patients kept at the isolation ward of Jamrud hospital was enhanced after reports surfaced about transmission of coronavirus to doctors and paramedics.

Sources told this scribe that the director health for tribal districts had even threatened to close down the isolation ward after he received information about Covid-19 suspected patients, who recently returned from Afghanistan via Torkham border, roaming around freely in the entire hospital and mixing up with ‘all and sundry’.

They said that the director health also exchanged some ‘hot words’ with deputy commissioner after the former expressed displeasure over the poor security arrangements at the hospital and threatened to shut down the isolation facility.

With the situation getting out of control and the infection of at least two doctors and four paramedics with coronavirus, DHO Dr Tariq Hayat held a meeting with DPO Mohammad Iqbal on May 14 during a visit of the latter to the hospital.

Surveillance of people kept in isolation ward increased

They decided to provide extra security to the Jamrud hospital to secure the isolation ward 24/7 ‘in the best public interest’.

Deputy Commissioner Mehmud Aslam Wazir, when contacted, acknowledged initial loopholes in the security but insisted that the matter was later amicably sorted out and he had not received any complaint since the security was beefed up by the local police.

He said that situation was under control as the labour room and emergency department of the hospital too were operating.

He said that the people, who approach the hospital staff for coronavirus tests, were duly entertained.

DHO Dr Tariq Hayat said that two doctors and four paramedics were infected by the virus. He, however, said that it was not yet verified that from whom they contracted the infection.

“At least two doctors and some paramedics have their own clinics in Jamrud and they still run these clinics. So it is not yet clear where have they contracted the infection,” he said.

The DHO said that local transmission could not be ruled out as they were still facing difficulties in handling the situation. “We now have only five persons in the jamrud isolation ward who have recently returned from Afghanistan. We are trying to provide them with best possible facilities along with protecting our hospital staff from contracting the virus,” he added.

The administration has established isolation wards in all the three government’s run hospitals in Landi Kotal, Bara and Jamrud along with establishing separate quarantine centres in all the three sub-division of the tribal district.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2020