Suspected coronavirus patient tests negative

PESHAWAR: A suspected patient of coronavirus admitted to the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) tested negative on Monday.

The patient, identified as Taimoor Khan was taken to the KTH on Sunday and admitted to an isolated private room under the supervision of the Department of Pulmonology.

KTH Media Manager Farhad Khan said they had sent the swab to the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad the same day to determine if the coronavirus had infected the man. He said laboratory report was received on Monday and that didn’t confirm him a coronavirus patient. The patient was also suffering from renal problems and for dialysis for him was arranged on an emergency basis Sunday night.

The patient had come from Sharjah and spent two days at home in Thal subdivision of Hangu district and then was brought to the Police and Services Hospital in Peshawar.

Attendants of the patient complained that the doctors at the Police and Services Hospital had refused to admit him and told them they didn’t have the services required for treating such patients. According to them, they took the patient to the KTH and, there too, nobody knew how to handle the patient. Later, the KTH shifted the patient to an isolation room so other patients should not be affected.

Dr Farman Ali of the same hospital came from home as it was day-off and he took the swab to the NIH. The KP government had declared Police and Services Hospital a referral centre and decided to shift there the suspected patients from overseas landing at the airport. There is no positive case of coronavirus anywhere in Pakistan, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, so far.