Nipah patient discharged, Minister applauds Aster Medcity for successfully containing disease outbreak

After a 53-day hospital stay, 23-year-old Nipah patient has discharged from Aster Medcity on Tuesday. All the hospital expenses of the patient were borne by the hospital. Health Minister KK Shailaja visited the patient before he was discharged from the hospital.

The health minister has congratulated and applauded the medical team at Aster Medcity for successfully containing the disease. The minister also felicitated Aster Medcity's team of doctors, including Dr Boby Varkey - Senior Consultant Neurology, Dr Anup Warrier - Consultant Infectious Diseases, Dr Arun Wilson - Specialist Infectious Diseases, Dr Anuroop Balagopal - Consultant Intensivist, Dr Ananthram - DNB Trainee Neurology; nurses and supporting staff for their timely intervention and consistent efforts in successfully controlling the outbreak in Kerala.

"Thanks to the high-quality infection control mechanism available at the hospital, we were able to control the outbreak at the right moment. Due to the tremendous efforts of Aster Medcity, the patient has survived Nipah. The joint effort of the government and private sector can help to find solutions for all the health issues of the people. In all the two phases of the Nipah outbreak, this joint effort was evident. With the combined effort of the government, private sector and the public all the challenges in the health sector can be tackled in future", said KK Shailaja. The minister has also declared Ernakulam district as Nipah free.

"Our doctors and staff at Aster Medcity played a valiant role in promptly detecting the virus, isolating the patient and providing the effective treatment that helped in curing the patient of the virus. The timely diagnosis of the index patient and immediate intervention with infection control protocols along with appropriate treatment not only saved the life of the patient but also helped in preventing a possible outbreak of the deadly disease", said Dr Azad Moopen - Founder Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare. He also urged the state government to take immediate steps to make level four virology a reality and offered Rs 50 lakh to buy pieces of equipment for the same.

"It is a proud moment for Aster Medcity as the coordinated efforts by the entire team prevented the outbreak and its related deaths. The main challenge we faced was to prevent the spread of the infection to the treating doctors and nursing staff. Keeping this in mind, we had taken every step to contain the infection and succeeded on the same", said Dr Harish Pillai.

"Aster Medcity has set an example for the hospitals in the state by successfully identifying and tackling the disease at an early stage", said CDr Jelson Kavalakkaat.

S. Suhas, District Collector and Dr T. R. John, Chief of Medical Services, Aster Medcity also spoke on the occasion.

As a part of the stringent approach, the infected patient was kept under observation in the negative pressure isolation room, which is a sophisticated facility available at Aster Medcity. In fact, the air from the room was released after filtering in order to prevent infection and spreading of the virus to other areas.

Moreover, the blood samples were meticulously taken to the lab after placing them in two sealed covers as they were potentially infectious. The medical staff at the lab had also taken every precaution while testing the samples. In addition, appropriate treatment protocols and medication was introduced to ensure that the patient is cured of the virus.

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