Telangana Government orders shutdown of Vanasthalipuram hospital

Hyderabad: Jeevan Sai Hospital located in Vanasthalipuram has been told to close services till May 26. According to Ranga Reddy DMHO, the hospital admitted a 50-year-old patient from Saroornagar with fever and cough symptoms on April 20, but failed to inform the same to the Health department as was mandated. According to officials, the patient, who works in Malakpet Gunj (wholesale and retail market), was the one who was treated in this hospital first and later taken to a few hospitals ultimately testing positive for Covid-19 three days ago. Three of his family members -- wife, son and father -- died due to co-morbidity conditions as they got infection from him.

Elaborating more on the hospital closure, RR DMHO Dr Swarajya Lakshmi said that 16 staff members from Jeevan Sai hospital, including the owner who is a doctor, nurses, lab technicians, etc, were kept under home quarantine. The hospital now has been directed to shut down for 28 days, the DMHO said.

Meanwhile, after the 50-year-old Saroornagar resident, who works as a cashier in a groundnut selling shop in Malakpet Gunj tested positive, it was found that a few more shopkeepers in the same market premises have also developed Covid-19 infection and were later shifted to the Gandhi Hospital for treatment.

In view of this development, the Malakpet market, which is frequented by scores of people, including those running kirana shops in several parts of the city and neighbouring districts, as well as general public, is being closed. Also, the area has been declared as a containment zone.

According to Radha Giridhar Gupta, Agirculture Market Committee chairperson for Hyderabad, the Malakpet Gunj has been closed for one week initially to disinfect the entire premises with chemicals besides taking required measures. "We have earlier installed two disinfecting tunnels, distributed face masks and sanitisers, and stressed on social distancing to be followed strictly in the market premises for the last few weeks, she pointed out. As of now, three persons from the Gunj and their family members tested positive, the chairperson added.