After its unsuccessful bid to appoint specialist doctors and resident doctors for dealing with the COVID-19 second wave whose curve is yet to in the forefront fighting the pandemic managing almost all COVID-19 hospitals here, has resolved to executive its ‘Plan B’ to ease the shortage of medical professionals.
Mysuru is one of the worst affected districts in the State with a very high positivity rate. Deaths due to COVID-19 are yet to come under control. The active cases stand at 15,134 as on Tuesday.
Amidst worries to manage the crisis with doctors’ shortage, the MMCRI got special permission from the government for appointing specialists, resident doctors and nursing staff on a temporary basis for the COVID-19 hospitals.
Out of 60-plus specialist doctors it wished to appoint, only four for the posts of pulmonologists and anaesthetists turned up. The MMCRI has around four pulmonologists for attending to COVID-19 patients admitted in various hospitals managed by MMCRI.
The District COVID-19 Hospital, the K.R. Hospital, the Trauma Care Centre, the PKTB, and the super speciality hospital, which are treating COVID-19 patients, are run by the MMCRI with available manpower.
Understanding that it was tough to get specialists such as pulmonologists despite offering a salary of ₹2.5 lakh a month, the MMCRI is now training the newly-appointed resident doctors and the nursing staff besides PG students in ICU management. The week-long training has begun with support from Gopalagowda Hospital which has teamed up with the district administration for running the ICU beds at the super speciality hospital on a PPP model.
“We are trying this model to ease the crisis for the time being since getting doctors has become difficult. By this way, we could address the shortage as the senior faculty at the MMCRI would be tele-guiding the doctors and nursing staff in managing ICU beds,” said MMCRI Director and Dean C.P. Nanjaraj.
He told The Hindu that alternatives had to be worked out when the situation warrants it since cases in Mysuru were yet to subside. “With reports of a possible third wave of the pandemic, we need to be prepared in advance and one such attempt is to appoint doctors. ICU training is another step.”
They are being trained in the management of ICU beds, ventilators, oxygen flow, and so on. “We have the task of handling both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients. Doctors attend to cases on rotation. With limited numbers, we are managing the situation with available specialist doctors shuttling from one hospital to another. By training doctors and nursing staff on ICU management, we could ease the situation.”
Tele ICU
Dr. Nanjaraj said talks are also on with the medical equipment manufacturers to come up with “tele ICU” facilities ahead of the third wave for tele critical care monitoring as faculty could monitor the ICUs on their smartphones and guide on-duty nursing staff in ICU wards on managing patients.
MMCRI has set aside 77 ventilators at K.R. Hospital, 10 at trauma care, and seven at super speciality for COVID-19 patients. It has an equal number of ventilators for non-COVID-19 care.
Dr. Nanjaraj said the outgoing students of MBBS are also being trained in ICU management as readiness strategy on the advice of many experts.
