Covid third wave takes a toll on Gandhi doctors, Hyderabad cops

Hyderabad: The State's major Covid treatment centre, Gandhi Hospital, has been hit hard by Covid with more than 100 doctors, medical students and other staff testing positive during the third wave. Most of the affected have been fully vaccinated.

Gandhi is the biggest teaching hospital and the State's nodal centre to treat Covid cases. It receives patients from across Telangana. The hospital has more than 300 beds for Covid patients. As on Monday it was treating more than 139 patients, includes 39 pregnant women.

The hospital has seen a spurt in cases among its staff since the first wave of the novel coronavirus. After which the entire staff and doctors were given both vaccine doses. Recently they have been administered with booster dose, as they are continually exposed to infection.

Concerns have been raised after many staffers, including doctors, offering services at the State-run hospitals are being exposed to infection and are again contracting the virus.

According to the Telangana Junior Doctors' Association (JUDA), currently 119 staffers of the hospital have been found positive for Covid; many test reports are awaited. Of these 40 are post-graduates, 38 house surgeons, 35 MBBS students and six teaching faculty members. Many are under home quarantine; a few are undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Dr M Raja Rao, Superintendent, said, "All Covid-affected medical staff would be treated in the special isolation ward."

Following the increase in Covid cases during the third wave, the State government had directed Gandhi Hospital to defer all the non-urgent surgeries. It also asked other hospitals to minimise non-urgent surgeries.

Meanwhile, 57 inpatients at the Government Hospital For Mental Care, popularly known as Erragadda Hospital, tested positive for Covid. According to doctors, tests will be conducted on those with symptoms. They will be taking more precautions as inpatients are mentally ill. Those with severe symptoms will be isolated.