By Ajita Rijal

Kathmandu, Apr .10: In order to ensure adequate number of human resources in the fight against coronavirus, the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has decided to mobilise the retired doctors and those doctors who studied on government scholarship.
With the view to contain the further spread of the COVID-19 and to help the government’s ongoing plan whereby it is preparing to conduct around 1,000 tests of those people under quarantine every day, the government has made a public call seeking their service on paid or voluntary basis for a certain period of time.
Minister of Health and Population Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal said that the government was doing its best to provide service to the people and wishes to convey assurances to the public that the government provided treatment and service to the people even by mobilising the retired doctors.
All the human resources and professionals from the health sector, who studied on a scholarship will be mobilised in service to people, said Minister Dhakal.
These human resources will be deployed for a minimum of three months. There would be no age bar while taking back the retired doctors and the senior and experienced experts.
No positive cases of virus for five days
The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has informed that 117 coronavirus suspected people are admitted to isolation wards of various hospitals across the country. Speaking at the regular media briefing on Thursday, spokesperson at MoHP Dr Bikash Devkota said that among them 18 were admitted to isolation wards of hospitals in Kathmandu.
Dr Devkota informed that 2,895 specimens of coronavirus suspects have been tested across the nation as of Thursday.
Among them, 2,382 samples were tested at the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) in Kathmandu while 513 samples were tested in various labs outside the valley. Dr Devkota informed that 193 sample tests are being carried out today. “With this the sample test reaches more than 3,000 by Thursday evening,” said Dr Devkota.
As per the details entered in mobile application and web site of MoHP, five more are in red zone as COVID-19 suspects and their tracing is going on. The coronavirus suspects have reached 180 as identified through the ministry’s virtual portals.
Dr Devkota informed that 7,940 foreign returnees were in quarantine across the country as of Thursday. Teams have been deployed to Dadeldhura and Baitadi to collect the samples for testing. The ministry has aimed collecting more than 400 samples of the quarantined in these districts, said Dr Devkota.
According to Dr Devkota, the entire tests carried out in the past five days have come out negative for COVID-19. Dr Devkota said that the Nepal Army Hospital at Chhauni had prepared 100 beds and six ICU beds for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
The ministry has informed that those who are now in quarantine will be compulsorily tested for COVID-19. If the result is positive they will be admitted to hospitals and if is negative they should return home and remain in home quarantine for a week, said Dr Devkota. According to the MoHP, the Female community health volunteers (FCHVs) will monitor those who are supposed to stay in home quarantine.
The MoHP has provided 5,000 RDTs to each state for testing samples of quarantined people. As per the decision made by the government, rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for coronavirus has started in Baglung as a mitigation measure of preventing the transmission of virus.
The team deployed by the ministry has carried two sets of ventilators, 100 sets of PPEs, 1,000 face masks and 1,000 test kits to Baglung. The ministry has provided training on RDT to health workers of Baglung, Myagdi and Parbat districts.