Is the dirt at Lahore's Expo Center Field Hospital causing patients to test positive?

Is the dirt at Lahore's Expo Center Field Hospital causing patients to test positive?

There is standing water in the bathroom of Expo Center Field Hospital in Lahore and all the people admitted here are certified patients of Corona. Will survive

So the question is, in such a case, will their test ever be negative? And is their fear that they will never be able to get out of the Expo Center Field Hospital in Lahore true?

These concerns are also of Muhammad Ahmed who is undergoing treatment in this field hospital. Which is not different from many other patients here.

A large number of more than 400 corona patients at the Lahore Expo Center have been protesting for the past few days. These scenes were seen in large numbers on social media.

During the protest on Friday, angry protesters also broke down the entrance gate in an attempt to get out of the expo center.

It may be recalled that this field hospital of 1050-bed expo center was set up in just nine days.

Protesters' complaints seem trivial, such as garbage not being picked up, not cleaned, food not being delivered on time, doctors not being on duty and the air conditioner not working.

Muhammad Ahmed also fears that the body of a man who died of the corona virus lay all day in the ward of another hospital where his three young children, wife and mother were kept.

"Guess how scared the kids must have been," he told me. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.

Image copyrightTWITTER / PUNAJ GOVERNMENT

Image captionPrime Minister Imran Khan visited the field hospital on April 4

His mother is diabetic and the children are very young. The eldest child is five years old.

Nine members of his family, including himself, have been confirmed to be infected with the corona virus and are being quarantined at two different hospitals.

The women are in Mayo Hospital, while Ahmed, his father and three brothers are in the field hospital in the expo center. And they are not the only ones who are afraid.

What is the main complaint of patients?

Image copyrightMUHAMMAD IRFAN

The big fear behind all these complaints is that they are not able to get out of this Expo Center Field Hospital.

Muhammad Irfan, a patient, told the BBC: "There is so much stench here that even if one stays here for a whole year, his test will not be negative."

While they were talking, someone could be heard screaming in the background on the phone.

Mohammad Irfan said, “Currently, the air conditioner of number one has not been running for two hours. These patients are screaming to run it or it will be difficult to breathe.

Regarding the protest, he said that most of the protesters "complained that their tests were repeatedly negative because of the poor sanitation system."

However, some patients have been accused of knowingly being told by the administration that their test is negative and that they are not being allowed to go home.

According to Muhammad Irfan, “There are people here who have been here for 25 days. His two consecutive tests were not negative. How can it be?'

'Why is there a difference between public tests and private laboratory tests?'

Image copyrightPUNJAB GOVERNMENT

Image captionScene from April 1 when pictures of this field hospital were released. On this day, the Punjab Chief Minister visited the 1000-bed Expo Center Corona Virus Field Hospital, which was completed in 9 days.

In a video that surfaced on social media, one patient claimed that "the one whose official test is positive is the one who gets tested if he is called in by a private laboratory staff." The video also showed private laboratory staff outside the hospital.

But the question is, why would the management of the field hospital want the patients there to recover and not go home? If she doesn't want to, why do patients have complaints?

Dr. Asad Aslam is the CEO of Mayo Hospital Lahore and the management of the Expo Center is with Mayo Hospital. He is also responsible for transporting certified Corona patients to hospitals in Lahore.

Talking to the BBC about the protest at the Expo Center, Dr Asad Aslam said: "It was not a protest. Basically these people want to go home. But how do we let certified Corona patients go home? They will go and spread the virus to more people.

Are patients really being misinformed about test results?

Image copyrightSCREEN GRAB / TWITTER

According to Dr. Asad Aslam, the impression that tests are deliberately positive is not correct. He said that two consecutive tests must be negative after which the patient is allowed to go home. But how can a test of the same patient from a private laboratory be negative if his first test is positive?

According to Dr. Asad Aslam, “We do not accept two negative tests in one day. If a patient's test is negative again at least two days after it is negative, it will be considered corona-free.

If this does not happen, that is, if a patient's test is negative once after 14 days in Qarnizina, but the second time is positive, then he will have to spend five more days in Qarnizina. After that, two consecutive tests will have to be negative.

According to Dr. Asad Aslam, 199 patients have recovered from the expo center and gone home, while 430 people are currently undergoing treatment here. He said that initially patients were allowed to be tested in a private laboratory at their own expense but now it has been stopped.

So what is the reason for dirt coming positive test of patients?

Image copyrightMUHAMMAD IRFAN

Image captionNo efficient system for taking out garbage from the hospital Patients are bedridden in front of this pile of dirt

Videos and photos from the expo center show water floating on the bathroom floor and patients walking to the washroom and latrine.

Some can be seen standing in it and washing their hands, face and even feet. Patient Mohammad Ahmed told the BBC that after he went to the bathroom, "every time I feel like Corona is stuck with my whole body."

He fears that if this continues, no one here will ever be able to get rid of Corona. I don't know how to save myself.

Dr. Asad Aslam says that "the sanitation system is working effectively but the garbage will be collected outside before it is picked up. Now what can we do if someone takes a picture of it at this time."

He said that since the field hospital was set up in an expo center, carpets could not be laid on the floor and its floor was such that it could not be washed. "But it must be sterilized and cleaned."

Aren't there doctors and medical staff?

According to Muhammad Irfan, a patient at the Expo Center, not enough doctors are present at the field hospital at night. "After our protest, doctors are now here," he said.

However, according to Dr. Asad Aslam, CEO of Mayo Hospital, there are adequate number of doctors at the center at all times.

Image copyrightMUHAMMAD IRFAN

"We have recruited new doctors for the field hospital who are available at all times."

He said that there are three halls in the hospital. Each hall can accommodate more than 300 patients. For every 30 beds, 84 doctors are required to work six-hour shifts. "Patients with severe symptoms are rushed to Mayo Hospital," he said.

"Most of the patients in this field hospital have no symptoms or are mild."

However, he said that these patients could not be allowed to go home until they were confirmed to be free of corona, otherwise "these patients could affect more than 400 families."