HYDERABAD: The rise in Covid-19 cases across the city has hit elective surgeries across various government and private hospitals with many postponing their plans.
Elective surgeries are scheduled procedures and not an emergency. During the second wave too, a similar situation was reported with multiple elective surgeries either called-off or postponed, amid the raging pandemic.
Now, with the number of cases soaring, many patients scheduled to undergo a knee replacement surgery, bariatric surgery, gall bladder stone removal among others have been forced to put their plans on hold.
“Over the past few days, we have observed that people who had to undergo surgeries for cataract, hernia among others are postponing their plans. In most cases, these are people who have comorbidities and do not want to take a chance. Even we are not recommending people to go ahead if there is a possibility to wait for some time,” said Dr Bharathkanth Reddy, chief operating officer of KIMS Hospitals, Secunderabad.
Doctors said that some patients are also testing positive for Covid-19, just before their scheduled surgeries.
“Before going in for a surgery, patients have to undergo an RT-PCR test. In some cases, they are turning out to be positive due to which we have to postpone the surgeries and quarantine them,” said Dr B Nagendar, superintendent at Osmania General Hospital.
Priority is being given to life-saving surgeries. “In such cases, even if the patients are positive, we are going ahead with surgeries as they are inevitable,” said Dr M Manisegaran, senior general and surgical gastroenterologist, Yashoda Hospitals, Malakpet.
Besides, several medical and nursing staff have also contracted the virus, thereby affecting surgeries, said doctors. Several hospitals have also restricted OPDs to contain the spread of Covid-19.
