Probe ordered after hospital performs surgery without waiting for Covid result

A surgeon at the hospital, meanwhile, said the surgery had to be performed in emergency following obstruction in her artery.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has initiated an inquiry into the circumstances that led a private hospital at Banihal conduct surgery on a woman without waiting for her Covid-19 report. The 32-year-old later tested positive for the virus.

Banihal Sub Divisional Magistrate Zahir Abbas said the woman was operated for hernia on Monday and her Covid test report came as positive on Tuesday. As per the protocol, a hospital is required to get the patient tested for Covid before undertaking surgery on him/her, he said.

A surgeon at the hospital, meanwhile, said the surgery had to be performed in emergency following obstruction in her artery. “…Her family insisted on getting her operated at Banihal in view of restrictions on inter-district movement in the UT.”