Medics voice capacity fears

YDA demands provision of quality personal protective equipment

ISLAMABAD: Medics at the largest tertiary care hospital in the federal capital have warned of reaching the capacity for beds and staff dedicated to treating the novel coronavirus (Covid-19). They further claimed that 80 healthcare staffers at the hospital have contracted the virus so far due to insufficient and inefficient protective equipment among other issues.

The Young Doctors Association (YDA) at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) - which is the main health centre treating Covid-19 patients in the federal capital - have blamed poor government policies, the incompetence of the hospital’s administration, and the lack of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) for a large number of doctors and healthcare officials getting infected.

“Pims is becoming Wuhan due to the poor government policies and incompetence of the administration,” said Dr Fazal Rabbi, the YDA president for Islamabad. He added that one colleague has succumbed to the virus as well.

Pims Deputy Director Dr Saifur Rehman wrote to the hospital’s executive director on May 21 stating that most of those who had contracted the virus were working in non-Covid-19 wards.

Dr Rehman’s letter, confirming YDA’s claim, requested the hospital administration and the government ensure robust testing of staff, enhance isolation capacity and to urgently provide “good PPE (face shields, gloves, goggles and glasses, gowns, head covers, surgical masks, N-95 respirators and shoe covers) supply for all healthcare personnel working in the hospital.”

Dr Rehman further wrote, “During the pandemic, healthcare personnels (sic) are especially valuable and vulnerable. They must be protected while utilizing all resources to avoid the worst situation.”

Islamabad’s YDA president said that the plight of so many healthcare workers was a clear indication of the incompetence of the administration, adding that the government was busy making loud claims. He added that despite conducting interviews, doctors and nurses have not been recruited.

“The announcement pertaining to extra salary for doctors and healthcare workers is nothing but a lie because no one has received a single rupee yet,” he said, alleging that the Rs784 million sanctioned by Prime Minister Imran Khan last year was deliberately being allowed to lapse by PM’s Special Assistant on Health Dr Zafar Mirza.

Providing a break-up for 65 of the 80 affected officials, Dr Rabbi said that 10 doctors were infected in the neurosurgery department; two doctors, seven staffers and three sanitary workers in the nephrology department, two doctors and a staffer in gastro, a doctor in neurology, four doctors in radiology, three doctors in urology, eight in maternal and child health, two doctors and nine staffers in paediatrics surgery and operation theatre, and three officials in anaesthesia and the ICU. Apart from a sanitary worker in paediatrics medical ward, he said that a doctor each in the orthopaedic, general medical ward, oral and maxillofacial surgery, cardiac surgery, general surgery and paediatrics and three doctors in the administration have been infected.

Dr Rabbi further said that Pims has only eight beds dedicated for Covid-19 patients which are already full.

“There is no space for critical patients and people are dying in ambulances,” he claimed, adding that he receives several messages seeking help to accommodate patients at Pims or elsewhere every day.

On reports that the government was looking to increase the number of beds from eight to 30 at Pims, he said that such moves will be meaningless without additional specialists and a large number of nurses and other healthcare workers.

“The situation is alarming,” Rabbi concluded, “if our demands are not met, we will be forced to protest.”

SAPM Dr Zafar Mirza could not be immediately reached for comments on the situation at Pims despite repeated attempts.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2020.