pune

Updated: Jan 30, 2020 15:58 IST

As two more patients with suspected symptoms of the novel coronavirus were quarantined in the civic body’s Naidu Hospital on Wednesday, the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) health department has written to all major private hospitals in the city to set up isolation wards to admit patients who want to seek treatment there in case they show symptoms similar to the novel coronavirus infection.

Currently, only government hospitals are hosting and treating patients showing symptoms similar to the novel coronavirus infection in the city. The civic body officials said that they will inspect the isolation ward at the private hospitals once they are ready, to check if it complies with all required norms.

On Wednesday, two more patients were quarantined at the Naidu Hospital, which takes the total to five persons under observation for showing symptoms related to the novel coronavirus infection after their return from China’s affected areas.

Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) health chief Dr Ramchandra Hankare, said, “We have written mails to the hospitals that those wishing to start a private isolation ward, for the ‘well-to-do’ suspected patients, can do so once they fulfil all the required norms. Once they prepare the facility, one of our officials will check with isolation ward and those VIP patients or those who need a separate facility can be shifted there.” The current isolation ward at Naidu has eight beds.

Once the private hospital wards fulfil the requirements, they can be given the required approval for the same, said civic officials. Dr Sanjay Pathare, medical director at Ruby Hall Clinic, said, “We have not yet received any such letter, but the isolation ward which we already have is capable to handle the coronavirus suspected patients. We use the wards for tuberculosis, H1N1 (swine flu) and so, the same can be used for this infection too.”

The fourth suspected patient is a 38-year-old man who visited China from January 15-21 and showed symptoms of cough, cold, fever and body ache while the fifth patient is a 33-year-old male, who has been working in China for the past eight months and had come to the city for a vacation on January 22. He started showing symptoms since January 23, according to hospital authorities. Their samples will now be sent to the National Institute of Virology for further tests.

Out of the five quarantined for the novel coronavirus infection, samples of two of the patients came back negative, while results for the remaining three are awaited.

Hankare further said that regarding the discharge of the patients, the new government guidelines state despite the samples testing negative for the presence of the novel coronavirus, fresh samples should be resent for double verification and that the patient cannot be discharged until he is asymptomatic.