Doctors, staff in Mumbai’s Covid wards will now get certified PPE kits

With more than 250 doctors and nurses testing positive, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has come up with a new rule stating only certified personal

With more than 250 doctors and nurses testing positive, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has come up with a new rule stating only certified personal protective equipment (PPE) will be used by medical staff in isolation wards for treatment of Covid-19 patients.

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HT had reported earlier that lack of certified PPE is one of the major reasons for spread of Sars-Cov-2 among staffers. Most of the PPE are procured through donation without quality checks and hence are unable to stop the transmission.

The BMC will now accept PPE which has been certified by authorised agencies such as The South India Textile Research Association (SITRA).

“According to the new rules, PPE needs to have Unique Certificate Code along with tamper-proof stickers in indelible inks with details of manufacturers. Only such PPE can be used in isolation wards for doctors,” said Suresh Kakani, additional commissioner, BMC.

PPE without security features will be used in other departments where the chance of getting infected is lower. Dr Prince Surana, CEO of Surana group of hospitals, said owing to the rise in demand, several local traders have started to produce low-quality kits, in violation of safety rules. “Hope this new rule will help to save the frontliners,” he said.

So far, at Wockhardt Hospital, 82 medical staff have contracted the infection, followed by Jaslok Hospital with 57 cases and Bhatia Hospital with 45. Three staff members, including one doctor, have contracted the infection at Sewri TB hospital. On Monday, civic-run ENT hospital reported 10 positive cases among employees.

More than Covid wards, doctors and nurses are scared of working in non-Covid wards, where PPE is still not compulsory. Talking to HT, a doctor from Bombay Hospital Resident Doctor Association said the infection started to spread in the hospital from non-Covid doctors. “In the first week of April, a resident doctor (radiology) contracted the virus. He wasn’t responsible for taking care of Covid patients. As we used to eat in the same canteens and stayed in the same hostels, the infection started to spread,” said Dr Mehul Desai, President of Bombay Hospital Resident Doctors Association, where 22 staffers have tested positive.

Asymptomatic patients are now the main concern. For this, doctors have raised the need for more number of fever clinics and separate entry-exits in hospitals. “Asymptomatic patients are like ticking time machines, who carry the virus inside without anyone’s knowledge. It is extremely important to segregate the functioning of Covid and non-Covid wards,” said Dr Surana.