Govt says making all efforts despite constraints

Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Kesonyu Yhome and Principal Director, Health and Family Welfare, Dr Vizolie Suokhrie. (Morung Photo)
 

COVID-19 patient from Nagaland tests positive in third test
 

Morung Express News
Kohima | April 23 

The Nagaland State Health Department today has admitted to gaps in the healthcare delivery system of the State amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, including infrastructural and human resource constraints. Despite this, it assured that the government is working towards confronting challenges.

During a press briefing late this evening at the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Kesonyü Yhome assured that the state government and the department is also making all out efforts to address the various challenges to ensure the safety of the citizens with the support from all sections of the society.

Principal Director, Dr Vizolie Suokhrie and State Nodal Officer of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, Dr. Nyanthung Kikon were also present during the briefing.

With regard to the patient from Nagaland who tested positive at Gauhati, Yhome informed that the department has been in touch with the GMCH officials to enquire about his health status. 

The department, it was informed received a report from the Superintendent, Gauhati Medical College Hospital that the patient initially tested positive for Covid19 upon admission to GMCH. While the subsequent second test was negative, the third test on April 18 tested positive again. 

Presently, the patient is said to be stable and has been shifted from the ICU to the isolation ward for further observation. A fourth test is due on April 26. On the status of his immediate family members, it was informed that they all tested negative.

Regarding the GMCH’s claim that the Nagaland Government had not officially liaised with its counterpart earlier, Yhome confessed that the government did not realise that an official intimation letter has to be sent, though constant telephonic conversation has been going on. It may be noted that that the Nagaland Health & Family Welfare (FW) Department wrote officially to the GMCH on April 19 evening. 

Dr Suokhrie meanwhile explained how the COVID-19 patient had gone to Gauhati, to eventually test positive there. He stated that the patient had certain underlining diseases and the doctors thought he had other illness rather a COVID-19 infection and thought appropriate to refer him to Gauhati. "

“To be frank, he was refereed to Apollo Hospital. In meantime, the patient himself already arranged to go to Guwahati,” he said. This doesn't mean Nagaland doctors refused to take as reported in the media,"

The main diagnostic was not on COVID-19, he stated. The Principal Directed however said that it would have been much better if the sample had been collected within the State.

Meanwhile, Dr. Kikon expressed gratitude to the Assam government for taking good care of the patient from the state.

Protection of frontline workers
While issues have been raised on the quality of equipments being distributed to the districts, Yhome stated that the department cannot afford to risk the lives of the healthcare workers who are at the frontlines in this battle against the disease. Towards this end, all districts have been informed to come to the directorate to choose and select the equipments in stock by themselves.

Also giving an update on the consignments received by the state till date, Yhome informed that a total of 56,000 PPEs; 2,76,000 triple layer masks; 42,000 N95 masks; 11 ICU ventilators; 9 transport ventilators; 50 C-PAP machines; 1,007 B type Oxygen cylinders; 119 A Type Nitrous cylinders and 54 jumbo oxygen cylinders have been received.

BSL testing center work in full swing
On the testing centers to be set up at NHAK and CISHR, Yhome said the progress of work is in full swing, with workers doing over time. More consignments are expected in the next 3-4 days. 

The state government, he said, is giving full support to the department in the expeditious completion of the bio safety lab, while the department is pressing hard to enable the state to begin testing samples for COVID-19 in Nagaland within 20 days.