GMCH closed for new patients, all Docs screened

#GMCH Closed for new patients

#Hostel No 5 declared Containment Zone

#All docs and support staff being screened

#GMCH being sanitised

#Results of tests expected by evening

# Panic in GMCH, finger crossed

The Guwahati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) is in serious danger of  COVID spreading epicentre as one of their Post Graduate Student Dr Likhitesh has been found positive that has threatened to leave a huge trail of contact persons including a substantial portion of doctors busy in the Corona war.

The Hospital, the primary hospital for the entire state, has been closed for all new patients as all the doctors and support staffs are lining up before the screening centre for Swab test as the incident has threatened to paralyse the whole health care facilities of GMCH.

A PG student at Guwahti Medical College has tested COVID positive last night. Consequently we have to screen everyone who came in contact with him and sanitize the entire GMCH premises. As such we have to close the hospital for new patients for next few days.

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) May 8, 2020

The Principal of the GMCH has ordered a massive screening of every one of the GMCH that includes hundreds of doctors, nurses, ward boy and sweepers besides all technical and administrative staff.

The PG student was involved in COVID screening and he has been active till yesterday but he has been unwell since April 25 and only yesterday to be found positive. This has triggered major chaos as he was in the PG hospital, used the hostel dining room besides sharing a room with his roommate.

This morning Health Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sharma tweeted this.

Although we are closing the hospital (GMCH)for new patients, special arrangements will be in place for patient already admitted and collection of new swab samples. Soliciting cooperation and understanding from all, in the interest of public safety.

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) May 8, 2020

According to the senior doctors of the GMCH, the roommate ofthe affected PG student worked in the isolation ward of the GMCH and aftercompleting his duty, he was lodged in the Taj Vivanta and after finishing his quarantineperiod of 14 days, he rejoined the duty on April 25 and found that his friendDr Lithikesh was not well.

But Dr Lithikesh kept working in the GMCH, met hundreds of doctors and nurses in the process till yesterday. As his condition did not improve he gave swab to the microbiology department for COVID testing and later found positive, said a friend of him and a Doctor of the GMCH

All hell broke loose last night as the PG Hostel of the GMCH facing containment and more importantly the PGS are the main workforce of any medical college.

The screening will include all the top bosses of the GMCH including Principal Ratna Talukdar as well as Health Secretary Sameer Sinha and all those HODs who have been working in the GMCH. Many of them are fearing that if not contained swiftly, this may lead to the collapse of the whole system if today's COVID  test find a large number of infection amongst the GMCH community.

That will have a catastrophic domino effect as the majority of the COVID patients are being handled by this hospital and guiding the entire medical fraternity.