100-member team treating COVID-19 patients in Indore hospital
Dr Ravi Dosi (39), who is heading this team ofdoctors, nurses and paramedical staff, says keeping himselfand the team motivated in these tough times is necessary asthe fight against the virus is going to be "longish".
Dr Dosi and his team members are often seen runningfrom the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to different wards of1,150-bed Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences (SAIMS).
The hospital management claims that the number ofcoronavirus patients it is treating simultaneously is thehighest in India.
Wearing a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) suit, DrDosi took some time off his busy schedule and told , "Ourhospital's COVID-19 admissions are 130 right now. Of them,seven coronavirus patients are in ICU. Twenty-five of themhave been discharged."
"An average of 10 patients having fever and showingflu-like symptoms and sore throat were turning up in SAIMS ona daily basis. Earlier, only the critical patients came, butnow due to the increased awareness, people with less severityare also coming to the hospital," he said.
"Majority of the patients are diabetics and thosesuffering from heart ailment, high blood pressure andpulmonary problems. Many of them are smokers with feeblelungs," he added.
Dr Dosi said he could not sleep properly in the lastfortnight as the number of patients is constantly rising. Hesaid he is keeping himself away from his family for theirwell-being.
The city's streets were teeming with people just afortnight ago. But the situation changed after the lockdown.
The virus has infected 249 people in just 18 days inthe city. Of them, 30 died during treatment. The city hasregistered 12 per cent mortality rate, which is much higherthan the national average among COVID-19 patients.
However, Dr Dosi argued that the virus is not in thecommunity transmission stage in the city yet.
"Majority of the patients, who had been quarantined,come to SAIMS. These include people whose family member oracquaintance had been infected by COVID -19," he said.
"Right now, my biggest challenge as a doctor is toprotect myself from the extreme negativity prevailing in thesociety regarding the virus. I always try to keep myself andmy team members in good spirit and motivated because I knowthat the fight against the epidemic is longish," he added.
Meanwhile, district chief medical and health officer(CMHO) Praveen Jadia said that along with 150 governmentdoctors, 600 paramedics have waged a war against the virus inthe city.
Besides SAIMS, the government-run Manorama Raje TBHospital and another private hospital are treating thepatients in the city.
According to officials, the virus crept into thedistrict, which is home to around 30 lakh people, late March,following which samples of 3,000 people, including thosehailing from neighbouring district,, have been sent fortesting.