In a recently held event, Mumbai-based Kasturba Hospital did not test a man with Coronavirus symptoms as he did not have a travel history. The 45-year-old, who had developed cold, fever and runny nose - flu-like symptoms - was turned away by hospital officials, but he, unfortunately, tested positive for Sars-Cov-2.
Upon realising that he did not have a travel history, the team gave him medication for seasonal flu, but he then approached the doctors at Saifee Hospital in Charni Road, where samples were collected for the tests. They were sent to the team at Kasturba who confirmed that he was positive for Sars-Cov-2
This incident has raised issues among the officials and indicates that the city and state are in need of more testing centres and diagnosis methods. Currently, only patients with a travel history or the ones who have come in contact with the infected patient, are tested at Kasturba Hospital's coronavirus diagnostic centre at
On being asked about this response, the senior doctor at Kasturba said that the team was 'confused about his symptoms' as he neither knew anyone diagnosed with Coronavirus nor had a travel history. The team confirmed that after the test results were received, they too were shocked. The patient was brought back to Kasturba hospital and is undergoing the treatment.
BMC's deputy health officer, Dr Daksha Shah, said that the patient would have been asymptomatic and hence was not admitted for further tests. This decision is taken by doctors when one doesn’t show any symptoms of the medical condition. However, doctors across the country have raised concern that the number of testing centres needs to increase in India as the number of cases is increasing every day. It is important that we curb the spread of COVID19, at a community level.
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