Doctors at Nepalgunj Medical College have operated on a 25-year-old pregnant woman, airlifted from a quarantine facility in Achham she suffered from problems in her intestine.

According to the doctors at Nepalgunj Medical College, Kohalpur, the patient was diagnosed with acute intestinal obstruction, and was also found to have been infected with coronavirus.

“The patient’s health condition was severely deteriorating when she was brought in,” said hospital director Dr Dinesh Shrestha. “We were prepared for the fact that the patient could be infected with coronavirus. So we tested her.”

“We put the patient up at the isolation ward and performed an hour-long surgery on her.”

A resident of Chaurpati Rural Municipality in Achham, the woman had returned from Maharashtra, India 10 days ago and had been living in a quarantine facility. She had been admitted at Bayalpata Hospital, Achham, four days ago after she complained of problems in her digestive system.

Doctors at the hospital had referred the woman to the Kohalpur-based hospital after her condition worsened.

Shrestha informed that doctors involved in the surgery took all necessary precautions during the surgery and all other services at the hospital were halted during the procedure.

Pradip Thapa, a doctor involved in the surgery, said that the procedure became more complicated as the patient was brought in late and was already five months into her pregnancy.

“The patient is still not out of danger,” said Thapa, “As of now, we can’t comment on her condition.”

The hospital has also collected swab samples of the patient's husband and daughter who had accompanied her to the hospital.

Thapa said that the foetus is healthy but the patient’s family have decided to terminate the pregnancy owing to the health complications of the mother.

“There is high risk of infection after the surgery,” said Thapa, “And with the woman infected with Covid-19, we can’t say for sure that there won’t be further complications.”

Meanwhile, medical personnel involved in the treatment of the woman have been sent to a quarantine facility at the hospital. They will treat other quarantined patients during their stay there, according to Shrestha.

The Supreme Court, in an interim order on Wednesday, ordered the government to make special arrangements for pregnant women and their new-borns by making provisions for regular check-ups and vaccinations during the lockdown.