KATHMANDU, Oct 13: The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has directed all hospitals in Kathmandu Valley to not perform surgeries except for those in emergency cases.
The directive of MoHP comes at a time when symptomatic COVID-19 cases are spiking in the Kathmandu Valley. The MoHP Spokesperson Dr Jageshwar Gautam said that the ministry has directed the Valley’s hospitals to not perform deferrable surgeries for the time being.
Officials at the MoHP said the new arrangement could help COVID-19 patients avail ICU wards and ventilators. There are complaints that COVID-19 patients with critical conditions in the Valley are unable to get ICU wards and ventilators.
Hospitals with 50 or more beds told to suspend non-urgent check...
The government also decided to transform all government hospitals in the Valley as hospitals designated for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. MoHP Spokesperson Dr Jageshwar Gautam said the government has started exploring a construction site to build a 300-bed hospital.
As inter-district movement of people on the eve of Dashain festival increases, the government has urged all private and public transport vehicles to strictly follow health safety guidelines. The ministry has asked all those making long-distance travels to stay in isolation for seven days before the travel and another seven days after reaching the destination.
With 2,283 new cases recorded on Monday, the Kathmandu Valley’s COVID-19 tally has reached 43,869. Of the 4,047 new cases recorded across the country on Monday, 2,283 were detected in the Valley alone. This figure accounts for 56.41 percent of the total cases.
Likewise, four more people in the Valley succumbed to COVID-19 on Monday, taking the COVID-19 death tally in the Valley to 201.
