(Reuters file photo)
(Reuters file photo)
Atono Tsükrü Kense
Kohima | March 27
The COVID-19 pandemic has come down heavily on people all across the world. And in Nagaland, the efforts to combat a possible outbreak seem to be weighing heavily on frontline health workers (FLHWs) who face an increased risk of catching the disease because of the nature of their work.
While the state government and the medical department have both been laying preparatory ground work for COVID-19 response, there have been credible reports of frontline health workers facing severe shortage of Personal Protective Equipment, N95 masks, gloves and sanitisers even in hospitals that are functioning as COVID-19 isolation wards.
There were also reports that landlords of some nurses have asked them to vacate their rooms, or find other places if they continue to work in the hospitals. Some nurses are also being dissuaded by their families from going to their work.
Speaking to The Morung Express on condition of anonymity, a doctor manning the isolation ward of a government hospital said there is severe shortage of PPEs, N95 masks, gloves and sanitisers in the hospitals. We only have enough PPEs for medical technicians who come into contact with the suspected patients. PPEs are not reusable and are discarded after one use.
He also highlighted the shortage of hand sanitisers in all the district hospitals and said that the government has cited the nationwide total lockdown as the cause of shortage. However, the doctor pointed out that medical equipment does not come under the purview of the lockdown and said “if the government is willing, it can hire a special chartered plane and bring the life saving equipment and gears.”
Several doctors are reportedly still wearing the usual operation uniforms while dealing with suspected COVID-19 patients, he said. While many hospitals have started making their own PPEs out of sheer necessity, the doctor observed that such custom-made PPEs are not made not according to guidelines and cannot guarantee the safety and security of the ones using it. As for him, the N95 mask which he purchased days ago for a public presentation is a life saver at the moment.
Another problem, he highlighted is the absence of security personnel for suspected COVID-19 patients, where there is a chance and danger of the patient escaping while being relocated. The problem has been put up with the department time and again, he said adding matter-of-factly “there is a chance of the patient getting agitated and we can’t just go and manhandle our patient and the chances of contracting the virus are very high.”
“We are in the battlefield without shields and weapons. Now we can only pray to God that we don’t contract the virus because now is not the time for us to say that ‘I won’t go to work’. Now is the time for us to jump in and fight,” stated the doctor.
Meanwhile, it was also learnt that the directorate has provided simple surgical masks and not the recommended N95 masks, and that there are only 10 PPEs in the Naga Hospital Authority Kohima for the technicians.
“We have some PPEs for immediate use, but if it continues like this and we don’t receive the safety equipment on time, we will in trouble if the outbreak reaches us,” said a top doctor who did not want to be named. The doctor said that the government placed the orders for PPEs and ICU ventilators well ahead of time but “our main worry is whether the equipment will be delivered on time.”
Though the matter is being pursued at the highest level to process the transportation at the earliest, “nobody can guarantee when the things will arrive.”
“We will be in trouble unless the state government, in coordination with the central government urgently intervenes and try to take action in the line,” he reiterated.
Another doctor revealed that the nationwide lockdown started before the equipment could be dispatched and some batches are stranded in transit. As such, he said the department is trying to trace out the address and location of the factories and vehicles in order to forward it to higher authorities.
Cops just as worried
Another wing of the government machinery is also facing a similar dilemma. According to police officials, the Nagaland Police’s biggest concern is its personnel getting exposed to the virus in the line of duty if things turn for the worse in the state. As a law enforcement agency, a police official said they are required to enforce the lockdown and as seen in other countries, they would even be called up to apprehend uncooperative people suspected of infection.
“I dread the situation coming to such a stage. I hope the government is aware of it,” said one police official.
