Visit to infectious disease hospital – IDH

Visit to IDH is the best experience I had during the first week of the appointment. We arrived at the hospital at 8 am and were seated in a small room. We had no clue what IDH is all about and its role other than being just a base hospital.. Matron of the hospital walked in to deliver the lecture.. Soon we realized she is one of the best matrons we have ever met..

She explained the history, importance and the way they handle an epidemic of an infectious disease and their role in controlling disease spread. The hospital was built when Sri Lanka was under British rule.. It is one of the most accurately built ID Hospitals in South Asia.. The highest point of Colombo district which is 41km above sea level was selected to minimize (virus, bacteria) spread by airflow.

IDH has received patients suffering from communicable diseases such as small pox, chicken pox, cholera, measles, mumps and tuberculosis. During the small pox epidemics large number of deaths had taken place and the dead bodies which were kept for burial had been attacked by ants thus called “Koobi kale hospital”. It was also a place to isolate the contacts who may be incubating the disease.. Therefore a transfer to IDH was considered as a punishment by the community..

However today IDH functions as a base hospital with 4 medical units, 1 paediatric unit, ICU and medical and paediatric clinics. It also treats HIV infected patients and receives patients with infectious diseases directly or through referrals from other hospitals or through the national epidemiology unit.

She also explained how they renovated the quarantine area and got ready to face SARS which almost became a pandemic terrifying the world in 2002, and the way they managed when Sri Lanka was affected by the swine flu pandemic in 2009.

She further insisted the importance of taking universal precautions for protection of ourselves in such situations.

Universal precautions  are;      

• Proper hand washing  
• Personal protection equipment (PPE)
•  Sterilization and disinfection
• Disposal of waste
• Environmental cleaning

One of our colleagues got the chance to wear the full PPE kit and demonstrate..

Manisha Rajakaruna
17.08.2012
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