In the battle against the coronavirus pandemic, lakhs of doctors continue to risk their lives every day to treat people infected with the virus.

From the time when the first case was reported of the virus on 30th January, at least 70 Indian doctors have died on the frontlines of this battlefield as the healthcare staffs are at a higher risk.

Community health experts stated that the government should immediately launch infection control audits in all hospitals to evaluate the heights of dangers the healthcare workers are facing in this pandemic.

Rajib Dasgupta of JNU’s Community Health Department says that is no coincidence that 2020 is Year of the Nurse and Midwife, the World Health Day theme. Health care workers, that includes doctors, face the highest risks in the coronavirus pandemic. Over 2,000 health care workers are tested positive for COVID-19 in alone Delhi. A previous ICMR report had found that 1,073 positive cases in healthcare workers till 23rd May. The government should analyze data of infections and deaths in healthcare staffs and conduct infection control audits.

By the global experience, COVID-19 infection rate in healthcare staffs is almost 1 per cent. The last COVID-19 death reported of an Indian doctor was on Sunday. Dr Sayeed Ahmad Ali tested positive on 8th June and died due to lung collapse at a Noida hospital. 52-year-old Aseem Gupta, an anaesthetist at Delhi’s LNJP Hospital, died of the coronavirus in the line of duty last week. His wife was also COVID-19 positive, who survived. Alone, Delhi has observed almost four on-duty doctors die due to COVID-19.

Delhi Medical Council (DMC) has issued an advisory to all the members to give treatment to every patient who are COVID-19 positive.

DMC Registrar Girish Tyagi also said that doctors in non-COVID facilities are the most susceptible. They had asked doctors to treat every patient as COVID positive and keep the maximum level of precaution at all times. Approximately, 70 Indian doctors have died due to coronavirus till now. This might be an undercount number.

One more challenge for doctors is the availability of personal protective equipment. Even AIIMS, New Delhi has lost their frontline workers to coronavirus infection. Former president of AIIMS Resident Doctors Association, AS Malhi said that the institute has sufficient PPEs but in other hospitals there is a shortage.

Malhi with a sad reminder of a Delhi mohalla clinic doctor UK Ghosh and his wife both who died due to COVID-19 recently, said that this Doctor’s Day, they appeal to the Centre to confirm PPE stocks in each hospital and clinic.

Source: The Tribune