Risk of contracting Coronavirus while getting a PCR test in Dhangadhi

The health workers at the Seti Provincial Hospital which is also the special hospital for COVID-19 have been found using the same surgical gloves for more than one patient while collecting swabs.

According to the guidelines issued by the WHO; Remove gloves after caring for a patient. Do not wear the same pair of gloves for the care of more than one patient. When wearing gloves, change or remove gloves in the following situations: during patient care if moving from a contaminated body site to another body site (including a mucous membrane, non-intact skin or a medical device within the same patient or the environment).

The reuse of gloves after reprocessing or decontamination is not recommended. As medical gloves are single-use items, glove decontamination and reprocessing are not recommended and should be avoided, even if it is common practice in many health-care settings with low resources and where glove supply is limited. At present no standardized, validated and affordable procedure for safe glove reprocessing exists. Every possible effort should be made to prevent glove reuse in health-care settings, such as educational activities to reduce inappropriate glove use, purchasing good quality disposable gloves and replenishing stocks in a timely manner.

However, according to Lal Bahadur Dhami, Chief of Dhangadhi District Health Office, the health workers wear two layers of gloves and change the first pair for each patient. We also have a substantial amount of gloves stocked up for the hospital, he said. Nevertheless, many people carrying their personal hand sanitizers offer it to the health worker collecting swab before getting their swab collected. But patients without a hand sanitizer who come to give their swab samples are at a higher risk. According to a doctor, many hospitals across the nation are found reusing gloves while collecting swabs.