Hospital facilities should be managed separately for Covid and non-Covid patients so that the latter are not deprived of treatment

In yet another major decision, the government has chosen to convert all government hospitals in the capital into Covid-19 hospitals. The decision comes in the wake of a surge in coronavirus cases in recent days, with half of them reported from the Kathmandu Valley. On Monday, Nepal reported 4,047 new coronavirus cases, with more than half from the Kathmandu Valley alone. Saturday recorded the highest single-day infection of 5,008 people from 19,320 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests conducted. Thus, the capital has become the epicentre of Nepal’s coronavirus pandemic, which could see an explosion of cases in the days to come given its huge population if precautionary measures are not taken right away. Just a day before, the government had asked the hospitals in the capital to defer elective surgeries so that the beds in the intensive care units (ICU) and ventilators meant for post-surgical care could be diverted for the treatment of corona patients. These measures of the government point to the gravity of the situation, but life in the busy streets of Kathmandu shows no signs of seriousness either from the government side or the public.

As of Monday, Nepal ranked 39th in the number of infections out of the 216 countries and territories that have been hit by the coronavirus. With a caseload of 111,803, it is seven times higher than Malaysia with a similar population.

It took a month from August 24 to September 23 to double the number of positive cases in the country. At the current rate of new infections, it will keep doubling every few weeks, maybe in even less time if the number of PCR tests is increased substantially. Currently, about 11-12,000 tests are conducted a day, which is far less than the number of tests carried out by countries with a similar population. Thus, in all probability, there are many, many infected people in society who are either asymptomatic or even if showing symptoms for Covid-19 are not coming forward for a test.

The series of measures that the government has just taken are necessary to cope with the increasing number of Covid-19 cases, especially in the capital.

But what about the thousands of patients who need to visit a hospital for ailments other than Covid-19? At this time of crisis, no one will visit a hospital or a doctor unless it is absolutely necessary. Thus, it would be prudent to manage hospital facilities separately for Covid and non-Covid patients so that the latter are not deprived of treatment when they badly need it. For sure, the coronavirus is not just going to go away anytime soon, so merely adding more isolation beds or ventilators for Covid-19 patients is not going to solve the problem. Other than lockdowns, the government must have some plan to keep new infections low. The people, too, must decide how best they can stay safe. Wearing masks and practising physical distancing and good sanitising habits at all times are recommended. Also with the Dashain festival just round the corner, it might be wise for the people to skip travel this time around to prevent the virus from travelling from Kathmandu and other major cities to the villages.

Deserted route

Lonely Planet has named the Annapurna Circuit as one of the 10 best trekking routes in the world. Before the outbreak of Covid-19, more than 180,000 tourists had visited the world famous Circuit last year. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, no tourist has visited the trekking route. All hotels, lodges and restaurants along the route now wear a deserted look for want of tourists. Hospitality business is the major source of income for the locals of upper Lamjung, Manang and Mustang. It takes around two weeks for a trekker to cover the entire Circuit.

With the number of Covid-19 cases still rising in the urban centres, especially in the Kathmandu Valley, chances of foreigners visiting the country for trekking or mountaineering appear very slim. Hoteliers in Manang, Mustang and Ghandruk of Kaski district look at visitors from outside with suspicion as these are the districts and villages which are still free from the disease. Instead of welcoming the tourists, the locals have also issued a public notice expressing their inability to offer services to them for fear of the coronavirus. Nobody knows how long it will take for the situation to improve. However, prevention is better than cure.