Docs provided safety gear, but support staff exposed to threat

According to the Health department sources, the single-use PPE kits are being made available to doctors at the hospitals though most of the nurses and other medical staff are forced to manage without them.

The nurses and sanitary workers at the government hospitals are using just OT gowns and masks as they are are not provided with a bodysuit. Even the private hospitals in the city say they are giving PPE kits to the doctors treating the COVID-19 patients and not to other healthcare staff members.

The government hospitals have four wings each for patients related to COVID-19. The first wing is for treating the positive cases while the second is an intensive care unit for serious cases. The third wing is for negative but suspected cases, and the fourth for the treatment of healthcare professionals if the need arises. Each wing has three doctors and three nurses in one shift and there are three batches of doctors on duty in a single day.

“The doctors are provided with PPE kits but nurses and lab technicians are given masks and gloves while some of them are asked to wear OT gowns. We use PPE kits only when they go inside the ward and not inside stepped-down facilities or the fever clinics,” said a nurse at the isolation ward at Omandurar Government General Hospital. The nurses and pathological lab technicians at the fever clinics at the government hospitals are provided gloves and masks only and not bodysuits.

Another sanitary worker at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital said they have been provided with masks and gloves, but not PPE kit. “The PPE kits are being disposed of by the ones who use it. But we are the ones who clear such waste and clean the infected areas,” said a sanitary worker adding: “Probably, we are not provided with PPE kits because we are not directly employed by the government.” 

However, Health Secretary Beela Rajesh said an adequate number of PPE kits are available in the government hospitals in the State. “The PPE kits are given based on the nature of the work of the doctors, nurses or other healthcare staff in a hospital. If there is any lack of PPE, it can be brought to our notice and we will ensure adequate availability of the kits immediately,” she said. 

The 108-ambulance service providers in the State are struggling to procure enough personal protective equipment (PPE) kits for their staff who attend to suspected cases of COVID-19 daily. While various organisations are coming forward to support them with PPE kits, the service providers are looking for more organisations’ support as they are out of sufficient stock.

About 110 dedicated ambulance vehicles are in operation across the State to attend to COVID-19 patients. A vehicle has at least two-three staff members to attend to one patient and they are being given single-use PPE. However, with the number of COVID-19 cases rising every day, the ambulance service provider GVK EMRI is struggling to keep adequate availability of the stock as the PPE being received from various sources including the State health department is being distributed immediately for use. 

108 ambulance service handles about 200-250 cases a day throughout the State, which equals to a requirement of 500 PPE kits daily. Though the situation is manageable in the other districts as they have less number of cases, Chennai is witnessing a greater demand for PPE kits.

“The supply of PPE on a day is being used up on the same day and there is no backup in case of any sudden cluster cases. We have government supply but we need more PPE kits to ensure adequate stock,

especially in Chennai that is seeing a large number of cases. We won’t be able to pick up patients if PPE kits are not available,” said an official.

“We are getting support from the government and even private organisations who are donating PPE kits directly or through vendors. However, the demand is increasing day ,by day and we would require more number of PPE kits in the coming days. As the cases rise, more number of vehicles will be used for carrying suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 and thus, more requirement for the kits,” said Balaji Premnath, marketing head at GVK EMRI. 

He urged private organisations to use their CSR funds for donating PPE kits to the ambulance service providers.