24 April 2020.
Nepal-China G2G Technical know-how video conference on the prevention and control measures of novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis was held between key stakeholders from Nepal and China. The conference was hosted by Her Excellency Hou Yanqi, the Chinese ambassador to Nepal. Patan Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS) facilitated the conference by organizing ,co-ordinating and hosting the event at PAHS auditorium with all its technical assistance to the Nepalese participants . Amongst the participants from Nepalese side was Dr. Dipendra Raman Singh, a Chief specialist represented from the Ministry of Health and Population, Nepal (MoHP-N); Executive Members and key persons from PAHS and Director from Epidemiology division of MHOP and directors ,and clinicians from other major Hub hospitals in the valley who are involved in combating COVID-19. From nepalese side, Dr Dipendra Raman Singh Presented about the Covid 19 scenario of Nepal and Prof Yuba raj Sharma, Clinical Coordinator for Covid 19, highlighted about PAHS preparation to fight against Covid 19.
The participants from the Chinese side was represented by Mr. Nie Jiangang, Director of the International Cooperation Department of the National Health Commission of China who highlighted Chinese experience in combating Covid 19 and Prof Gao Zhancheng, Director of Respiratory Medicine, Peking University People’s Hospital committee member of International Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Consortium (ISARI) ,who had presented about Clinical experience and management of Covid 19 in China. Prof Chen Junqiang, President of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University had highlighted the experience and Hospital preparation in Guangxi medical university hospital. Since this disease was new ,many questions and queries were asked from nepalese delicates and responded by Chinese experts excellantly and this video conference proved to be very useful and a great success to the Nepalese participants. Hope such cooperation definitely will not only provide technical support in such situations but also strengthen mutual co-operation between two countries.
To be noted, Patan Hospital is one of the major hospitals designated by the MoHP with a special Covid management, PAHS has been prepared and planned with 24 hour ILI clinic, Isolation ward, Covid ward, and 21- ICU beds with 14- ventilators standby . Patan Hospital has left no stone unturned in preparation to fight COVID-19 from being the first in the country to produce PPE sets on its own and the hand sanitizers in the hospital pharmacy. It has recently started the rtPCR test in its own lab from 22nd April 2020.
47 Covid-19 suspected patients have received the impatient service from the Patan Hospital so far out of which 2 were tested positive.The positive cases were among the 3 of the members from the same family residing in SunCity Apartment at Kathmandu, who had returned from UK on 18th March 2020 and were tested positive in RDT. Mother (81 yrs), son (58 yrs) and daughter-in-law (49 yrs) were tested positive in Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) on 13th April 2020 and were immediately admitted in the isolation ward in the Patan Hospital for needful treatment. Their swabs were sent to the Nepal Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) at Teku for Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) which showed that only 2 out of 3 were positive. The daughter-in-law was discharged on the second day after her report was tested negative whereas the other two members were discharged on 23rd April 2020 after receiving treatment when their two consecutive PCR tests within 24 hours were tested negative as per the World Health Organization (WHO) protocol.
