Increasing number of doctors testing positive raises safety questions

Though the Health department claims of having adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), the rising number of cases among doctors have raised questions.

As these include doctors not part of COVID teams, experts say that precautions should be taken for all patients in a clinical establishment.

“Every patient in every hospital should be treated with the same precautions, like wearing masks, gloves and washing hands frequently. For example, a doctor will treat a patient who come with heart attack without any precautions. Later the patient’s sample may turn positive. This cannot be prevented but can be minimised when everybody takes responsibility of their health,” said Dr C Ramasubramaniam, general medicine consultant at Apollo Hospitals and a member of the State expert committee.

The lack of adequate PPE to the doctors in emergency and outpatient units is an issue repeatedly raised by the doctors.

“A large number of patients who have common symptoms of fever and cough often land up in the emergency units. We are not sure if they are infected until we test them. Even if they are sent to the COVID ward later, the doctors would have already come in contact with the patient. It puts them at risk,” said Dr R Ranjith, a doctor at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.

The doctors’ associations are also stressing on ensuring proper facilities for doctors treating COVID-19 patients.

“The government should ensure the all doctors are provided with PPE kit with good quality. Only few are given the kits, while others are still using the kit that is used to treat the HIV patients. If a doctor died after being infected with COVID-19 or while treating the patients, their funerals should be done with State respect. The sanitary workers in corona ward should be wear PPE, but we can spot them wearing only a mask,” said Dr G Ravindranath, secretary, Doctors’ Association for Social Equality.