Isolation wards empty as COVID-19 cases stay put in quarantine

DHANGADI, JULY 7

Isolation wards that were set up to keep COVID-19 infected patients are mostly empty as most of the infected continue to stay in quarantine shelters in Sudurpaschim Province.

As per data with Sudurpaschim Province Social Development Ministry, as of now, the total number of COVID-19 infected in the province has reached 3,542.

Of them, 904 persons have recovered and returned home. Of the remaining, only 100-odd people are in isolation wards of hospitals; others, 2,500-plus infected are staying in quarantine shelters.

A case in point, the Corona Special Hospital set up at Seti Provincial Hospital has a 40-bed ward for virus patients, but only 12 beds are occupied. Similarly, while Tikapur and Mahakali hospitals have 42 and 13 COV- ID-19 patients undergoing treatment respectively, 10 virus-infected are being treated at Achham District Hospital and 20 in Malakheti Hospital. Two patients each are being treated in Dota and Bajura hospitals. The rest are in quarantine.

Interestingly, the infected in quarantine shelters neither have undergone a second test for the virus nor are allowed to go home.

Kamal BK, who tested positive in Nawadurga Primary School-based quarantine in Kailali’s Godawari Municipality, said the infected had been quarantined for the past one month. “It’s been a month after we were consigned to this place, but all this while, nobody has come to learn about our condition nor have we been told to go home,”he added.

Most of the infected cases staying in a majority of quarantine shelters in Godawari Municipality have complained of neglect.