The Prime Minister must reassure medical personnel and clear the air on availability of PPEs

Seven doctors working in different hospitals of the National Capital have tested positive for COVID-19 due to lack of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) making them vulnerable to the disease while caring for the afflicted patients, even as India exported 90 metric tons of the same to Serbia, which is apparently stockpiling the material imported from India, China and other major countries.

The tremendous shortage of the protective gears for healthcare workers in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and even on the field is causing panic among doctors and nurses,who are exposed to infected patients.

In Delhi itself, two resident doctors at Safdarjung Hospital, one each at the Delhi State Cancer Institute (DSCI) and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Hospital (SVBPCH) have tested positive. In MCD-run Hindu Rao Hospital, many healthcare workers reportedly offered to resign, citing lack of PPEs as a reason. Sources claimed that the hospital administration has already received 10-12 resignation letters over the last few days.

Additionally, several RMOs are believed to have decided not to renew their annual contracts. The administration has threatened all such employees individually and collectively not to accept their resignations as also to take disciplinary action against them but offered no assurance about providing them the necessary protective equipment to save them from being infected by COVID-19 while coming in contact with the patients.

A senior doctor in a Bilaspur Hospital regretted that the Prime Minister in his series of addresses to the Nation uttered not a word about tackling the immediate problem of lack of safety equipment for doctors, para medics and the remaining health care staff including ambulance drivers each of which needs to protect themselves before they venture out to provide care and comfort to others.

He pointed out that in his hospital as many as six patients tested positive for COVID-19 and suspected that the actual number could well be higher. He said a patient testing positive for the virus had to be transported to the Bilaspur Government Medical College but when the ambulance driver was summoned, he had no protective gear with him not even a coverall. The doctor disclosed there were no coveralls in his government run hospital or disposable 3 ply face masks, fewer than a dozen N-95 masks and just a few sets of surgical gloves. When they can’t ensure the safety of health workers, how can they press them to do their work?

Similar situation was reported from Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (MGIMS) in Maharashtra, where doctors feared for their lives after reading of death of doctors in China, Italy and Spain.

Government estimates that health ministry would require 700,000 protective coveralls, 6 million N-95 face masks and 10 million three-ply masks until the end of May. Industry sources said that the World Health Organisation had warned as far back as February about a global shortage of PPEs.

But evidently the Government paid little heed and in late March, a planeload of 90 metric tons of medical protective equipment were flown to Serbia, which is reported to be stockpiling them. It is ironical that India, which has a shortage of PPEs, should supply the scarce and now precious gear to others.

It is true that UAE and China also dispatched similar material to Serbia on UNDP initiative. But India surpassed all of them in dispatching the highest quantum to Serbia.

Experts and industry representatives like the Chairman of Preventive Wear Manufacturers’ Association had asked the Government to ban export of such material. Towards the end of January, the ministry of Commerce and Industry issued an order banning export of all PPEs. But mysteriously on February 8 another order was issued rescinding the earlier order and in effect opening the door of unhindered export of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

The Government has now floated global tenders to purchase PPEs but considering a global shortage and coronavirus crisis throughout the world, there is little hope of anearly response to the tender, admitted sources in the Government.

The Government is now approaching China, Korea and other nations to send as many PPEs as they can while simultaneously urging the industry to ramp up its production of the PPEs by 40 per cent.

But there too is a catch. The raw material that was selling in the market barely a month back for Rs 250 per kilogram is now selling at Rs 3000 or more per kilogram, thus exponentially increasing the cost while the availability too is going down simultaneously.

Perhaps the Prime Minister, in his ‘short video message’ on Friday, will clear the air and throw some light on the availability of PPEs to our medical professionals.