Shillong (Meghalaya ), July 24 : A senior doctor in Shillong Civi l Hospital has tested Covid positive .
In a press -statement Commissioner and Secretary (Health & Family Welfare Department), Sampath Kumar said the doctor who is a senior Anesthesiologist at Shillong Civil Hospital has tested positive while attending treating a critically ill Covid patients who later succumbed to his infections.
Accordingly , the OPD of Shillong Civil hospital will be closed today ( Friday).
According to the statement , “The doctor had contracted this disease while attending a Covid-19 patient who was critically ill in the Covid Unit of the hospital and the said doctor developed symptoms a few days later after treating the critical patient (who later passed away at NEIGRIHMS).
While the movement of the doctor is only in a few limited areas of the hospital and he hardly had any contact with patients, it is hereby informed that all the high-risk contacts of this doctor are from the Covid Unit and follow a rigorous protocol where they are tested every 7 days and quarantined as per the State Government protocol,” the press -statement said.
In the press -statement , the Commissioner and Secretary said that while there have been instances wherein healthcare workers are stigmatized during such incidents, the Government advises the public and solicits cooperation from all community members to be more empathetic towards the health workers and doctors who have been putting their lives at stake for the safety of our people.
” the Community Covid-19 Management Committees are hereby requested to ensure that there is no panic about this incident in their respective localities as healthcare workers have always been extra-careful about their behavior in their work spaces as well as personal space,” the statement added.