Coronavirus outbreak: Lack of adequate kits and masks for Mumbai doctors main worry

With the rise in coronavirus cases, health care providers are facing an acute shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE).

With the rise in coronavirus cases, health care providers are facing an acute shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE).

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According to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, PPE includes gloves, medical masks, gowns or coveralls and respirators, such as N95 masks. All these equipment are mandatory for medicos who work in close contact with patients, especially in isolation wards.

The state government has floated tenders for the immediate procurement of PPE through Haffkine Institute. When HT spoke to state health minister Rajesh Tope, he said, “We are already looking into the matter and are trying to resolve it.”

At Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, the medical staff is awaiting protective gear to set up isolation ward in the hospital, despite receiving the approval to set up a 90 bed-capacity ward (70 for patients requiring observational treatment, 10 each for VIPs and intensive care unit (ICU) patients).

“Currently, on a daily basis, we use 20-25 PPE, which is mainly used in operation theatres. But now, we will need 500-1,000 kits every day, once we start the coronavirus isolation wards. Depending on the influx of the patients, the need for the PPE may go higher. Due to the sudden demand for PPE, manufacturers aren’t able to meet the target,” said Dr Pallavi Saple, dean of the hospital. The hospital has also received five ventilators through the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative from philanthropists.

Medical practitioners at Gokuldas Tejpal Hospital, where the state government has okayed a 250-bed isolation ward along with a 20-bed ICU for Covid-19 patients, is also facing the same situation. “We already have more than 100 ventilators ready, but until we have an adequate number of PPE for the next 15 days, we can’t assure the government that we are ready to start the facility,” said Dr Saple.

Medical experts have blamed the government for lack of preparedness during the global outbreak of coronavirus. The Centre waited till March 19 to issue a notification, prohibiting the export of domestically-manufactured PPEs and the raw materials for their manufacture.

Abhay Pandey, national president, All Food and Drug Licence Holder Foundation (AFDLHF), said, “Due to the sudden demand, the manufacturing price of PPE has also increased by three times. When China reported its first outbreak, the Indian government should have taken cognisance and stopped the export of materials. They waited till February, which was too late.”

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) in a letter to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray stated that owing to the lack of PPE, medical students are falling prey to the virus. The association said five medical students in the city have been quarantined after they developed symptoms while working at the international airport, Seven Hills Hospital and Kasturba Gandhi Hospital.

“In this outbreak if doctors aren’t provided with proper security, then how will our patients be safe? PPE is one of the basic things needed during the outbreak. Due to the shortage of masks, we are forced to use one mask for four-five days which is more harmful,” said Dr Kalyani Dongre, president of central MARD.

Students have also alleged that owing to the lockout, the college has closed the mess and canteen, due to which they have to cook inside their rooms and often, they sleep empty stomach after a tiring day, which is affecting their immunity. “We work for 15-20 hours every day. After that, it is impossible for us to cook. Most of us are surviving only on noodles or biscuits. Though we are trying to get help from non-government organisations, we have also sought help from the state government to provide us food,” she added.

In China, during the outbreak, around 3,000 medical staff, including doctors and nurses across the country, were infected owing to the unavailability of PPE in hospitals.