Doctors bear brunt of low-quality PPE kits
New Delhi: Health workers in various hospitals of the national Capital have complained that the safety gears provided to them are of bad quality. With healthcare workers at the forefront, many positive cases have been reported. In such a crucial state, the condition of PPE kits is not up to the mark, according to doctors.
In a state government hospital, a doctor said that the suit they were wearing was torn. "We have been working in such conditions only. The virus is so lethal. How will such quality keep us safe?" the doctor told the correspondent.
In less than one-and-a-half months since the COVID-19 outbreak, at least 87 health staff in private and government facilities have contracted the disease. However, according to a medical expert, the number is high. On Thursday, two nurses living near Mehrauli were found positive. One of them worked at a hospital in Malviya Nagar.
Nurses at LNJP have been raising the issue of bad facilities but has fallen on deaf ears. "We were initially not even given any transportation facility, while doctors were living at five-star hotels," said a healthcare worker at the hospital.
The healthcare workers have said that most of the kits are donated by the NGOs and organisations and have average quality. PPE kits include several items like a bodysuit and a pair of shoe cover, disposable goggles and face mask, gloves, a collection in which they are meant to be discarded and a hand towel.
The quality matters because a doctor has to wear a suit the whole time they are in their shift. "In hazmat suit, a doctor cannot even visit the washroom because they have to wear it throughout. As the particles get collected at the front, the doctor has to wear it throughout their shift. In this condition, the quality needs to be better," said a medical expert running a private clinic.
Meanwhile, a resident doctor has complained that an N-95 mask cannot be reused due to the severity of the virus. "It is dangerous and washing it won't make any difference. On the other hand, it will become less effective," said the resident doctor.
India had 21,797 number of confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) cases till Thursday. According to the government officials, as many as 686 people have died of the disease so far in the country. In the last 24 hours, 1,409 positive cases, and 34 deaths were reported.
