With Lack Of Proper Gear, Biscuits & Water For Dinner, Mumbai Doctors Are Working 12-Hour Shift
KEM hospital became the second hospital in Mumbai to begin COVID-19 testing. However if social media posts and the plea of the doctors are to be believed they are working long hours with almost no protective gear. Theyre reportedly even going hungry in the process. Five medical students from civic-run medical colleges were quarantined after being put on duty at Kasturba Hospital and at Mumbai International Airport.
King Edward Memorial (KEM) hospital became the second hospital in Mumbai to begin COVID-19 testing. However, if social media posts and the plea of the doctors are to be believed, they are working long hours with almost no protective gear. They're reportedly even going hungry in the process.
According to TOI, a social media message about resident doctors from KEM Hospital, Parel, having just a meal of biscuits and water late night for dinner touched a chord. Not much later the staff over at Taj Hotels sent food packets to all staffers in municipal hospitals.
@AUThackeray Residents doctors at KEM HOSPITAL AND other BMC run municipal hospital are not getting food as the mess and canteens are not getting enough supply.
¡ª Shreedevi Tanksale (@docs28) March 25, 2020
These doctors are working day and night and they stay away form their homes. No tiffins available due to lockdown.
Talking about the exhaustion, sleeplessness and hunger one post reportedly said, ¡®There was no availability of even tea or coffee. Ahead of us was a 12-hour fight till the morning. We had to work even if with an empty stomach !! We said to each other, 'chhod yaar dekha jayega' and went on to have Parle G with water which couldn't have tasted better¡¯.
However, after receiving the food, some took to Twitter to thank the staff at Taj.
A heartfelt thanks to @RNTata2000 @TajHotels and @SanjeevKapoor for being the savior and providing food to doctors in such crucial times. ?
¡ª Crime Master Gogo (@mayur_mandrah) March 25, 2020
Food packets being provided to doctors of KEM medical college, Mumbai.
I hope others will come out and help too. #StayAtHome pic.twitter.com/7VJxcDQUVv
Multiple posts online suggest that neither do the doctors at the hospital have proper gear to treat patients, nor is their enough food supply in the hospital mess.
For the doctors at various hospitals who are at the frontlines not having proper medical gear puts their lives at risk. This is undeniably a problem that needs swift action.
@MoHFW_INDIA @CMOMaharashtra @mybmc @ndtv @aajtak @BBCHindi @indiatvnews @ZeeNews residents doctors of KEM hospital Mumbai have not been provided with N95 masks till now, what if these young doctors and medical staff get the infection treating patients? Who will be answerable?
¡ª Dr PRAKHAR NIGAM (@nigamprakharsci) March 26, 2020
TOI reports, ¡®Five medical students from civic-run medical colleges were quarantined after being put on duty at Kasturba Hospital and at Mumbai International Airport. They tested negative (but will continue in quarantine for a few more days before a second confirmatory test is done)¡¯. With no proper facility the fear of doctors contracting COVID-19 is ever present.
Food needed at KEM. KEM hospital became the second hospital to start testing COVID-19 in mumbai. Due to curfew they have been facing shortage of food for doctors and patients @PMOIndia @AmitShah @AUThackeray @PiyushGoyal @Tejasvi_Surya #Feedthewarriors please help!
¡ª kunal ajani (@kunal_ajani) March 25, 2020
In a letter to chief minister former MARD (Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors) head, Dr Kalyani Dongre wrote, ¡®Doctors use one mask for three to four days due to shortage. This is a risk to their health¡¯. She pointed out that constant exposure to COVID-19 with ¡®inadequate and proper protective measures¡¯ could create more manpower crunch.
Resident Doctors in Mumbai, with one of the highest number of Covid cases are working without adequate personal protective equipments, using three masks in a day. With the lockdown they are facing shortage of food. KEM doctors had to seek the help of an NGO to secure meals, sad! pic.twitter.com/57GjUgzoKk
¡ª swagata yadavar (@swagata_y) March 24, 2020
A member of the Association of State Medical Interns of Maharashtra (ASMI) reportedly said, "Despite a pandemic, we have a shortage of masks, gloves, etc. While the dedicated Covid-19 OPD at JJ Hospital has everything, the regular casualty doesn't have enough amount of protective gear. What happens if a COVID-19 patient who is asymptomatic or has regular fever and cough walks into the casualty? Wouldn't it expose us to the infection?¡±
TOI
Here is the thing, doctors do not need us to clap hands for them, people need to pressure the government to equip the doctors, who are risking their lives, with the proper protective gear and ensure they have essential supplies like food to sustain themselves!
