At least 91 health workers—doctors, nurses, paramedics and lab technicians—deployed in front line to fight Covid-19 have been infected so far,"Dr Prakash Budhathoky, chief of Basic Health and Emergency Health Service at Curative Service Division under the Department of Health Services, told the Post. “Similarly, hundreds of health workers who came into close contact with the infected individuals have been either placed in isolation or quarantine.”
Health workers serving in over three dozen health facilities, including Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital,
Kathmandu Medical College,
Alka Hospital,
Vayodha Hospital,
Hams Hospital,
Nepal Cancer Hospital,
Parbat District Hospital,
Rapti Academy of Health Sciences,
Karnali Academy of Health Sciences
and Covid-19 special hospitals in Butwal,
Nepalgunj and Birgunj have been tested positive for the coronavirus so far.
“Health facilities are becoming new coronavirus hotspots and their health workers, possible medium of infection,” said Budhathoky. “Our health system will crash, if we could not protect our health workers and health facilities. When health workers themselves are getting placed in isolation wards and quarantine centres, there is a high risk of people dying of minor ailments.”