Brave hearts of Medical department Kupwara , deputed for COVID sampling came back on foot for 03 kms .
SPOTLIGHT
Kamran Ashraf Bhat (Joint Editor)
Shafqat Qazi
After District administration declared Karnah as Hot spot due to high infection reports of COVID 19, District Administration Kupwara initiated aggressive test sampling in Karnah , Frontier area of Kupwara and deployed special medical team for the area .
One of the member of team , Iqbal Ah. Khoja currently stationed at SDH Kupwara in blood bank section , explained whole process of testing as life lesson and eye opening for them. ” When we were ordered to be a part of test sampling campaign in Karnah, for a second , we were not able to understand how to respond it . But, later for us it was opportunity to show strength of a medical worker.”
The medical team mostly consisting Lab technicians from different medical blocks of Kupwara on returning from Karnah with test simples had to cross main sadna area , which is a steep slope area , 3 kms in snow without any vehicle due to road blockade.
Iqbal Ahmed told inside Kashmir that, they took this assignment on war footing and successfully collected 200 samples .
” After aggresive sampling in Karnah , we managed to get samples from 200 people who were identified as immediate contacts and 2nd level contacts . One of the biggest challenge for us was now to reach out our destination of test collection facility in kupwara with safe and secure test samples.”
As they reached main sadna area , which is located at high altitude area , snow had engulfed the whole area , for them , there was no way to cross sadna top with vehicle .
” We left our Goverment vehicle and traveled on foot for atleast 3 kms . We had decided that, we won’t give away our sacrifice easily and we will meet the other end without any fear of landslides or any untoward incident , as this area is always prone to snow slides , landslides . After we successfully crossed the sadna top , CMO office had sent a vehicle for our evacuation”, added Iqbal Ah. khowaja.
The other members of the team including, Samiullah Muslim lab tech DH Handwara ,Nazir Ahmad lab tech SDH Kup, Sajjad Ahmad Malik lab tech.SDH Kralpora , Sameer Ah.Dar lab tech SDH Sogam and Feroz Khazir lab Tec.PHC Chogal have been sent for quarantine by District administration for their safety in Rest House Chandigam.
