Srinagar, Mar 3: Jammu and Kashmir administration is mulling to send doctors outside the valley for training in quarantine protocols in an attempt to check the spread of the coronavirus infection in the union territory.
Though no coronavirus case has been reported in Kashmir, health officials said all hospitals should ensure their staff is trained and well-prepared to deal with the virus.
Financial Commissioner of Health and Medical Education Department Atal Dullo said that there is less awareness among the medicos on how to deal with the emerging infection.
“Therefore, we have decided to train our medicos in quarantine protocols, and practices needed to promptly identify and isolate patients, with possible coronavirus, and inform health authorities in time,” Dullo said.
Under the plan, medicos from various health institutes including SKIMS, SMHS, and Directorate of Health Services will receive training outside the valley.
Dr. Salim Khan, HOD Community Medicine, said in order to strengthen the screenings, the additional trained staff has been placed at the Srinagar airport.
“We have established an isolation center at Sanat Nagar so that the suspected cases are directly taken there instead of tertiary care center. Accordingly, staff from microbiology laboratories will be sent to collect the samples,” he said
Dr. Khan said the hospital administration is raising awareness among people by issuing advisories on the infection.
“The idea is to inform people about symptoms associated with coronavirus, mainly cold, cough, sore throat and fever, and when to approach a hospital,” Dr. Salim said.
On the other side, Divisional Commissioner Baseer Ahmad Khan reviewed the measures taken with regard to coronavirus at the Srinagar Airport.
Coronavirus is a type of virus that typically affects the respiratory tracts of birds and mammals, including humans. The virus first surfaced in Wuhan in December 2019 but has since spread to different countries including India.
