29 July 2021 12:00 am Views - 130
By Ajith Siriwardana
The Government Nursing Officers’ Association (GNOA) yesterday called on the authorities to shut down the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Kotelawala Defence University Hospital that was dedicated to treat Covid patients, claiming that it was a breeding ground for Covid-19.
Its President Saman Rathnapriya told a news conference that nursing staff who were assigned for duties at the ICU have fallen prey to Covid-19.
He said eight out of thirteen nurses who were assigned to the ICU for the last two days have been infected with the Covid-19 and added that 25 nurses were infected with the virus a month ago.
He said nursing staff at the KDU Hospital ICU continue to fall prey to the virus and pointed out that the authorities have failed to address this issue even after repeated complaints. “This ICU is not properly cleaned. Junior staff are not assigned to carry out full time duties here. They only visit twice a day. There is no one to remove the used PPE kits at times. We have complained to the Health Secretary and the Director General of Health Services. No action has been taken as yet,” he said.