Inadequate number of PPE can pose threat to frontline healthworkers!
| Date :01-Apr-2020 |
By Vikas Vaidya :
Though the administration in Nagpur has able to keep the coronavirus menace in control, it has to push purchase of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to be used by frontline healthworkers further. According to one senior doctor in Mumbai, Government hospitals are facing the crunch of PPE which can prove costly as healthworkers are the backbone in the fight against coronavirus. Nobody can do the work of healthworkers.
The reliable sources informed ‘The Hitavada’ there are over 500 PPE available for the healthworkers in job at Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMCH) and Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) which cannot be said as adequate. There are around 36 suspects and three corona positive under treatment at GMCH while around same number of suspects and nine positive are quarantined at IGGMCH. Though the reports of suspects have not released yet, the healthworkers like doctors, nurses, attendants, technicians working in the laboratory, their heads, professors, associate professors and others have to be very careful. If there is one ward then 10 PPE are enough for 50 days as there are roughly 500 PPE available. If the number of suspects and wards are increased then PPE too would need to be increased.
Some people get discharged but some are being added. Administration in Nagpur is taking all care under the leadership of Dr Sanjeev Kumar, Divisional Commissioner with Ravindra Thakare, Collector, Tukaram Munde, Municipal Commissioner, Abhijit Bangar, Nodal Officer are monitoring the day to day situation. Administration is not dependent on one supplier as they have appointed four suppliers who provide them PPE and other necessary consumables. Two years ago Government had appointed Haffkin Institute for the purchase of medical consumables. In present situation Government has not made it mandatory to go through Haffkine.
A committee under the Chairmanship of Collector has been constituted with Civil Surgeon, Deans of two hospitals and District Health Officer (DHO) are its members. Administration is not waiting to get any nod about any necessary purchase and processing it directly. But according to some of the healthcare staff the PPE is not adequate and before the present stock finished it should be made available. There are some guidelines about ventilators. District-level committee has to approve the ventilators. At present administration has sent the proposal of over 200 ventilators required in the wake of coronavirus outbreak to State’s Chief Secretary. Meanwhile Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited has donated 8 ventilators to GMCH as a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Some more ventilators will be given to GMCH on CSR basis.
Guidelines for pvt practitioners Two incidents in Nagpur where two private practitioners took bizarre stand while treating corona suspects wherein one patient suffering from pneumonia died and other one has been quarantined after he tested positive, Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, Medical Education Secretary has come up with guidelines for private practitioners. The incidents made him upset of the way the private practitioners dealt the cases. On Monday, a patient died of pneumonia in a private hospital and was brought to IGGMCH. This case has created a havoc and Dr Mukherjee has issued guidelines. The most important point in the guidelines is transfer of suspect case of COVID 19 patients should be done as per Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). It should not send suspected patient to Government hospital without confirmation of the sample. If there is no bed available with that hospital, it should send the patient to the nearest hospital. The hospital has to make a call to Government hospital if any corona suspect is there. It is mandatory on private practitioners to make available the facilities for routine patients and every medical healthcare professional should perform their roles from hospitals. Hospitals should prioritise and segregate fever, cough and breathless patients from hospital, clinic point of entry.