Alleging lack of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits, the Telangana Junior Doctors’ Association (TJUDA) threatened to boycott their duties on Tuesday. The call for strike was given on Monday evening. However, following assurance from the Director of Medical Education, K Ramesh Reddy, that the much needed PPE kits will be provided, the boycott was called off.
At least 11 postgraduate students from Niloufer Hospital in Hyderabad attended to a 3-year-old boy infected with coronavirus, without any PPEs. The boy was taken to hospital after he complained of respiratory problems and cough. However, as the boy had no foreign travel history, he was rushed to the emergency ward without any suspicion, according to the PG students. The PG students handled the boy with just a surgical mask as protection. As a result they were exposed to the virus and showed mild symptoms of COVID-19. Subsequently, they were home quarantined and swab samples were sent for testing. Test results of some of them came back negative for the virus, while the results of others are awaited.
TJUDA alleged that the incident which endangered the students and their family, occurred because the government did not provide them PPE kits, as mandated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
“Initially for four days they provided us with the kits, later they ran out of supply. Without any protection, just basic surgical masks are provided to us,” Dr Vishnu, president of TJUDA, said. “We will work no matter what the risk. It is our duty. But what about our family members and the elderly who are susceptible to the disease? From them, the disease will spread to others,” he added.
TJUDA demanded that all the PG students who work in the emergency and isolation wards shall be provided with PPE kits. According to TJUDA, they require 400-500 PPE kits everyday.
“We detailed our plight to the DME and he said that it was not the right occasion for the boycott, which we acknowledge. The DME assured that they would provide all PG students in isolation and emergency wards with PPE kits,” Dr Vishnu told TNM.
While the PG students claim that the 3-year-old had no travel history, as per the information provided by the health department on March 25, the boy had travelled to Saudi Arabia along with his parents recently.