Nipah patient waits in ambulance as isolation ward at Kozhikode MCH takes time to be prepared

Kozhikode: In a dramatic turn of events at Kozhikode Medical College, the 14-year-old Nipah patient from Malappuram faced a half-hour wait in an ambulance before being admitted to the isolation ward prepared for him. The incident happened after the boy, hailing from Malappuram, was transferred from a private hospital where he was on a ventilator.

The authorities struggled to prepare the isolation ward due to logistical failures and miscommunication. Kerala Health Research Welfare Society (KHRWS), responsible for managing the pay ward that doubles as an isolation facility, reportedly withheld cooperation in transferring the child immediately. This reluctance was due to financial concerns as using the pay ward as an isolation facility during outbreaks like Nipah and Covid-19 affects their revenue stream and disrupts operations. The employees under them are paid by KHRWS itself. However, during outbreaks like Nipah and Covid-19, the pay ward staff are evacuated to convert it into an isolation ward, which has caused dissatisfaction among KHRWS personnel. 

The situation escalated when KHRWS refused to hand over the keys to the isolation room, which had been locked since the Covid-19 pandemic. Eventually, officials were forced to break the lock with a hammer, delaying the admission further. Once inside, the isolation ward required extensive cleaning and preparation which was completed by the joint efforts of the cleaners and staff of the medical college.

Health department officials from Thiruvananthapuram were criticized for their inaction during the crisis, failing to intervene in the matter. The medical staff from the private hospital and the boy’s relatives were stranded in PPE suits and ambulances for hours.

The scene also caused confusion among other patients and visitors at the medical college, some of whom ventured into the isolation area without proper protective gear. The Nipah ward signboard was placed hurriedly only a few moments before the boy was finally admitted.