| SDH Dooru fails to start Rapid Action COVID-19 tests, patients suffer | | | Saahil Suhail
Early Times Report
Anantnag, Aug 12: Despite the passage of one week now, the authorities at Sub-District Hospital Dooru in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district haven’t started Rapid Antigen Tests for detecting COVID-19.
“I approached them voluntarily but they refused to conduct the test,” a local resident from Dooru informed Early Times over the phone.
According to reports, patients’ mostly pregnant ladies are suffering as the Jammu and Kashmir Government has made preoperative testing for COVID-19 for surgical patients compulsory.
“Doctors refuse to treat or operate patients who don’t get themselves tested for COVID-19,” officials said, adding. “Medicos refusing to conduct Rapid Antigen Tests for detecting COVID-19 is a grave negligence.”
“These Rapid Antigen Tests are even being done at Primary Hospital Center Verinag but we don’t know what stops the authorities from kick starting it here,” a group of employees told Early Times.
Medical Superintend, SDH Dooru, Dr Rafi Salathi admitted that they hadn’t started conducting Rapid Antigen Tests yet. “We haven’t started it yet but we are going to start it from Friday,” he said.
On 28th of July 2020, Financial Commissioner Health and Medical Education Atal Duloo issued an order and directed Director SKIMS, Director Health Service Kashmir and Jammu and Principals’ of all Medical Colleges to start conducting Rapid Antigen Tests for detecting COVID-19.
Quoting letter No. PS/FC/H&ME/COVID-19/2020/112 dated 17-06-2020, Financial Commissioner to Health and Medical Education directed all the heads of institutions to use Rapid Antigen Tests for early detection of disease.
Earlier, Deputy Commissioner Anantnag K K Sidha had also directed officials of the Health Department to intensify testing and had set a target of 75 samples per day for them, however surprisingly the Medical Superintendent of SDH Dooru seems to have thrown all those directives to winds. |
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