For the last 20 days, Anushka Singh (11) has had severe pain in her stomach, with doctors saying she requires an operation for choledochal cysts - a bile duct condition. But with her Covid test result awaited, the operation has been put on hold by doctors at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. "The pain started on May 20. My wife and I work here, while the children were in our hometown in Jammu's Kathua district. When local doctors couldn't figure it out, my brother got Anushka to Delhi on a flight on June 4," said her father Kewal Singh. Anushka is currently on a liquid diet as solid food intensifies the pain. "The Covid test was conducted in a private lab on June 5, but the result is awaited. She is in a lot of pain and cries all day," said Singh. The hospital, which has reserved 80% beds for coronavirus patients, has been asked not to perform Covid tests, after the Delhi government issued it a notice for allegedly flouting ICMR guidelines. Dr Piyush Ranjan, who is treating the girl, said, "To perform a surgery, we need her Covid test results. She is in the emergency ward. Now, we are not performing any surgeries without tests as that would put doctors and medical staff at risk. Earlier, when we were testing patients, it would not take longer than a day, but since it's a private lab, we have to wait. If her result does not come in another day or two and she is in a lot of pain, we will operate on her."
