PESHAWAR: With a spike in coronavirus-related deaths and incidence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the health department has planned to resume the admission and isolation of the virus patients and other related services at the Police Services Hospital in the provincial capital.

It, however, requested the police for extra security checks at the hospital in light of the admission of under-trials and convicts to the medico-legal ward.

According to officials, the hospital won’t be able to provide admission to the people sent in from the jail asthe planned resumption of Covid-19 services requires security.

The province recorded five coronavirus-related deaths and 1,278 cases in the day.

A health department report said four people died of the virus in Peshawar and one in Swabi.

Dept seeks extra security due to admission of undertrials, convicts

It added that Mardan recorded 111 new Covid-19 cases, Nowshera 92, Mansehra 80, Swabi 65, Kohat 54, Abbottabad 37, Hangu 31, Swat 29 and Dera Ismail Khan 26.

The department said the province had 8,232 active virus cases, while 93 per cent of the patients had recovered.

It said 14 per cent of the beds designated for coronavirus patients in Peshawar and Swat were occupied.

The coronavirus positivity rate in Nowshera, Karak and Mardan reached 24 per cent.

Officials said experts at the Public Health Reference Lab believed that Omicron variant was widespread in the province and therefore, they were considering not to process samples for it.

They said over 1,250 Covid-19 cases had been reported in the province for the last three days highlighting the need for extra beds at the hospital.

The officials said the police hospital was declared a Covid-19 facility by the government but it suspended those services after a tangible decline in the virus incidence.

They said the hospital required to resume those services due to a surge in Covid-19 deaths and cases.

The officials said the hospital didn’t have arrangements for treatment due to security measures and therefore, the people were sent back to the jail.

They said the health department wanted more beds for coronavirus patients at thePolice Services Hospital in view of the rising incidence.

The officials said 398 Omicron variant was found in the samples collected in the province.

They said the health department declared the 60-bed hospital as the Covid-19 isolation and admission facility in Aug and received patients for testing as well.

The officials said currently, the people went rapid coronavirus testing but the department was under pressure to resume full services.

A letter sent to the capital city police officer said the Police Services Hospital served as isolation facility for asymptomatic, suspected and confirmed coronavirus patients due to which the MLC ward were closed last year to prevent the spread of the virus.

It added that in the emerging situation, the admission of patients referred from jails to the MLC ward wasn’t possible.

The hospital has five rooms and two wards of 16 beds each where complicated cases from jails undergo treatment.

The letter said security was of significant importance as the hospitals had been giving emergency coverage round the clock to the people from the Peshawar High Court, Governor’s House and Chief Minister’s Secretariat and Peshawar High Court.

“We are extending services through daily OPDs especially to prisoners and accused people. The hospital’s medical superintendent wants the former staff of the MLC ward to be deployed there to ensure admission to the MLC ward,” it said.

Officials said there was no response from the police department on the matter but efforts were under way to get the required security at the hospital as the health department recently decided to continue with coronavirus-related services in Nishtarabad facility over a spike in cases.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2022