Varanasi: In perspective of the recent COVID-19 epidemic, the clinical, diagnostic and other ancillary services at Sir Sunderlal Hospital, Banaras Hindu University are adequate and at par to the national standards.
According to the BHU spokesperson Rajesh Singh, the hospital is operating a 24 x 7 dedicated screening OPD in Room no. 103 for the patients having any kind of respiratory or flu-like symptoms, where the patients are being examined and screened for COVID-19. Doctors and trained staff have been posted on round the clock duty for the medical advice and collection of relevant samples (nasophayngeal and oropharyngeal swabs). The diagnostic services are being rendered by the Microbiology department through its state of art virology laboratory.
The indoor patients admitted for the management of COVID 19 are being lodged at the quarantine and isolation wards with a total capacity of 60 beds at present. The independent rooms in the quarantine ward are equipped with all basic amenities and have attached lavatory. The hospital has also a well-equipped 16- bedded Intensive Care Unit (ICU), exclusively dedicated for COVID-19 patients to provide perpetual services to the critically ill patients in terms of ventilatory or haemodynamic assistance.
Regular packaged meals and drinking water is also being supplied to all the admitted COVID-19 patients by the hospital administration. Additionally, the hospital administration is bearing all the medical expenses incurred in the treatment of such patients.
Concurrently, several training programmes on Infection Prevention and Control are being conducted for the doctors, nursing and paramedical and the housekeeping staff so as to ensure the safety of the healthcare workers as well. All the services are being regularly monitored and upgraded as per the guidelines and directives of the concerned ministry, medical institutions and local administrative authorities.
