SRINAGAR: Expressing satisfaction that SKIMS, Soura has fairly been able to contain, control and treat COVID 19 cases, Director Dr A G Ahanger today said that out of 283 suspected patients, 238 have been discharged and 24 positive patients who are under treatment are all recovering well.
Dr Ahangar said that the very first positive case, the lady who had travel history has been already discharged after recovery and is now under administrative quarantine. Regarding the positive case of a young food vendor, he said that his situation was serious at the time of admission but now he is recovering well.
Regarding treatment of non-COVID patients Dr Ahangar said that the institute has taken many steps. “Wherever it is possible, we should try to delay or postpone hospital visit of a non-COVID patient but we continue to run all emergency services, OPDs and cancer management treatment. To avoid unnecessary visits to the hospital, we have dedicated seven telephone lines for tele medicine consultation and also get patients in touch with doctors who have been treating them,” he said.
The Director said that SKIMS has been handling life consuming ailments, be it cancer, kidney failure, heart attacks, strokes, road accidents, neuro-trauma and other end stage ailments and multi-level organ failures without a fail. He said these patients reach out to SKIMS for treatment which is largest 24×7 hrs centre in UT of J&K and the institute has 36 ventilators for such patients.
When COVID-19 epidemic started, Dr Ahangar said that the institute dedicated six ventilators and around 30 bedded facility for such patients. He said that as per the severity of the disease the patients are being treated at 1, 2, 3 and 4 levels of isolation. “For the severe level 4 patients with severe respiratory syndrome, the dedicated ventilators are used. At the same time the institute has purchased around 20 more ventilators and we are getting three more from voluntary organisations. And many other NGOs are willing to help us in these types of equipment, consumable items and disposable items and so on and so forth. We are trying to accommodate as much of material to provide better medical care to severely affected patients.”
While praising the frontline health workers, doctors, nurses and other medical staff for their dedication in these hours of medical challenge, the Director said that people of Jammu and Kashmir are also fairly disciplined, well-educated which has resulted in good understanding, cooperation and coordination. “At SKIMS we have manpower second to none in the world, we have the distinguished faculty who are leader in their own services and all of it helps in preparing the institute to deal with any kind of situation. We are blessed to have this institution and our people, by and large, understand its value. With such qualities SKIMS is a brand name all over the world,” he said.
