Jumbo Covid hospitals of no use without experts: Doctors

Nagpur: Ventilators and other costly equipment are of no use if there are no specialists who can operate them, say doctors in the backdrop of a recent incident in Pune where a TV reporter died of Covid-19 after not getting oxygen facility.
“Jumbo Covid-19 centres without expert doctors are of no use. Indian Medical Association (IMA) had offered specialists services on rotation to government Covid centres. But the dministration refused and demanded full-time doctors which they hardly had,” said Dr Ravi Wankhedkar, former national president of IMA and treasurer of World Health Association.
“From a health perspective, the death of TV journalist Pandurag Raykar appears to be a preventable death. Bad governance and over-bureaucratization is leading to many such unfortunate incidents,” Dr Wankhedkar said. Death of a 25-year-old nurse in Nagpur on Thursday under similar circumstances adds weight to his views.
Nagpur is gearing up to develop a 1,000-bedded jumbo Covid-19 facility. It is expected to be ready this month. Dr Ashok Adhao, past national president of IMA and patron of IMA Maharashtra state, has requested the chief minister to seriously look in to the issues and concerns of health care providers. “Give necessary urgent administrative orders for private health care providers to work hand-in-hand with public health sector to fight Covid-19,” he said.
“More than 70% of primary, secondary and tertiary health care services are provided by private sector. Trained and expert doctors are more important at the proposed Jumbo care centres,” he said adding that private doctors and paramedical staff are at the forefront in fight against the pandemic but apart from rhetoric and lip sympathy, government has so far not come out any substantial plan for them.
According to expert doctors, administration should utilize expertise of management and doctors of city’s best hospitals at the newly established mega facilities. “With no expert men behind machines, the huge amount of public money that has been spent in setting up jumbo facilities will be wasted,” said a member of Nagpur Covid task force who is also working in government sector.
Those working at forefront in government hospitals too are not happy. Resident doctors, who are not willing to be named, shared many incidences in which they faced insults, assault-like situations and political pressure.
“We are working day and night and many serious patients are also recovering, but the media focus is on deaths and mismanagement. People blame us for deaths but more than 25% of the victims were brought dead. More than 70% of the remaining deceased were reported in critical condition with least chances survival despite taking all necessary steps,” said a senior member of central committee of Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors.
Doctors are working tirelessly from last six months and now feeling fatigues. Many of them have tested positive for Covid-19 despite following all protocols.
Without men, machines are dead
- Doctors facing fatigue, residents working in forefront overburdened
- Many doctors, paramedics, technicians have tested positive
- No special medical facility, neither package to doctors if they get infected
- Low response to recruitment drives, manpower not available, accepted authorities
- 1,000-bed Jumbo facilities require massive manpower, with fresh minds
- Before creating facilities, authorities need to ensure enough manpower