Chhattisgarh doctors allege lack of COVID-19 protective gears, demand safety

Doctors in Chhattisgarh have flagged lack of protective gears, including N95 masks, for those attending to positive and suspected patients of coronavirus in government hospitals.

The Chhattisgarh In-service Doctors' Association (CIDA) alleged that the state health department has neither provided doctors with required personal protective equipment nor facility to even test health workers.

The Junior Doctors Association of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Medical College and Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital, authorised to treat coronavirus patients, in a letter to the state has said that casualty, if any, amongst health worker on account of inadequate planning and provisioning in spite of repeated feedback is equivalent to medical negligence.

"With reference to the COVID-19 pandemic, we the residents would like to bring to your notice that the residents have been working without stipend for more than a month now and we are happy to serve our people in such desperate situation but in return we plead for basic workplace safety and assurance," the association said in the letter to the health minister on March 25.

Queries sent to Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo did not elicit any response.

The Chhattisgarh government has sought permission from the central government to authorise Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital for testing of coronavirus patients.

The JDA said that doctors have been provided with triple-layer masks but demanded N95 masks and personal protection kits for rational and judicious use where they deal in procedures that lead to generation of aerosol.

According to the WHO, coronavirus mainly spreads through aerosol emitted by infected people during cough or sneeze.

"We, the residents, also request for arrangement of prophylaxes for COVID-19 as per standard schedule, and vaccination for H1N1 virus, as cases of latter are also on a rise in the institution and few residents who have been in contact while treating such patients have symptom of flu," the association said.

CIDA in a letter on Thursday to the state's Directorate of Health and Family Welfare alleged that hospitals are being provided low quality diluted sanitiser and demanded immediate arrangement for testing of health workers for coronavirus who are showing symptoms of the disease.

A CIDA member said that five doctors who raised the issues were suspended but reinstated later due to staff crunch.

Doctors involved in the administration of Bilaspur division hospitals have alleged that the government did not make adequate arrangements in advance as the health minister was out of state.

"State officials required his approval. We are told that the procurement has started and will take sometime due to the lockdown. This could have been done earlier when the Prime Minister on March 19 rang the alarm bell and called for a 'janta curfew'," a doctor said.

The health minister is currently in quarantine after his return to the state and said to be operating from home.

A JDA member said that the state is highly dependent on AIIMS Raipur where protection kits, 200 isolation wards and facilities for the treatment are available.

The CIDA has demanded that the health directorate assess the patient count and start making immediate arrangements of oxygen cylinders, ventilators, suction apparatus, other equipment and medicines.

"Authorities in administration are aware of shortage of supplies but the health ministry has been ignoring the ground reality," a CIDA member alleged.