A whole lot of doctors reportedly forced to reuse same mask for a week are crying for support

• A shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) which includes head covers, glasses, N95 respirators, mask, and shoe covers is hampering medical workers’ ability to work efficiently and stay safe.
  
• To make it worse, some nurses are reusing the same mask for a week which is dangerous..
  
• And some others have taken it to twitter to share their condition and request the government to take action

Indian doctors, nurses and other medical staff are forced to treat Coronavirus patients without any personal protective equipment (PPE) — that includes head covers, glasses, N95 respirators, mask, and shoe covers.

To make it worse, a few nurses are reusing the same mask for a week which is dangerous.

The government has arranged a fund of ₹15,000 crore to procure essential medical items like ventilators, quarantine facilities, personal protective equipment, isolation beds, ICU beds, ventilators and other essential requirements. Yet, timely procurement is necessary to keep doctors safe.

Ideally, a doctor or a nurse is supposed to wear gloves, gowns, eye gear and masks. However, some of them were not given any of it even in isolation wards which could lead to dire consequences.

Italy — the epicenter of the pandemic — reported at least 23 deaths of Italian doctors. Sadly, the list of doctor deaths is only getting longer.

Several doctors have taken to Twitter to share their condition and request the government to take action. A doctor said that she can give free treatment but she too needs some sort of protection.




"It has been brought to our notice from senior and junior resident (SR/JR) doctors of various departments that residents attending to suspected and confirmed Covid-19 patients are working without PPE gear. We are scared of such working conditions causing emotional and psychological stress. We request you to provide PPE gear for proper functioning without any threat of infection," Resident Doctors' Association Lucknow president Rahul Bharat said in his letter to vice-chancellor Prof M.L.B. Bhatt.

Doctors and nurses are in dire need of a large supply of masks and PPE as they come in direct. WHO have also recommended that these health workers use surgical masks to their mouths and noses.


See also
Sleeplessness, fear and panic can grip people during lockdown say experts
Here’s what you can access during the 21-day lockdown across India