2 years on, doctors & paramedics get reorientation on Covid duties

Nagpur: A dummy Covid patient is brought in an ambulance to NMC’s Pachpaoli Maternity Home. Paramedics donning PPE kits ferry the patient inside the screening area where doctors assess the severity of illness.
A paramedic records oxygen saturation level. Based on the findings, the patient is allotted either an oxygen-supported or ICU bed along with treatment protocol.

With recent Covid surge and fears of complacency, a mock drill was held at civic-run hospitals and government medical colleges to take stock of preparedness, availability of manpower, medicines, oxygen supply and ventilators as part of a nationwide exercise on Monday.
Exactly two years ago, healthcare facilities where under pressure bracing an unprecedented rush of breathless Covid patients when the Delta wave struck the country in March-April 2021.
After the deadly wave receded, the last two years have been uneventful though cases have spiked at different phases during this period. Cases sky-rocketed in the third wave too but the patient load wasn’t as stressful as the second wave.
Dr Vaishali Shelgaonkar, professor and head, department of anaesthesiology, IGGCMH, said new batches require orientation about treating and handling Covid patients and they get it on-job. “Junior residents, who had not treated Covid patients, are now getting to learn as we keep getting one or two patients,” said Dr Shelgaonkar.
During the mock drill, IGGMCH and GMCH doctors checked oxygen stock, functioning of PSA plant and availability of medicines.
“Our 522 beds are always ready for Covid patients. Right now, all of them are occupied by surgical and other patients. At a time, one ward can be vacated in case of emergency. A 42-bed ward and 10 ICU beds are always on standby,” she said.
Zonal medical officer Dr Dipankar Bhivgade, who is in-charge of Pachpaoli Hospital, said as cases are increasing, the staff required reorientation and they must know what to do. “It was an around 10-15 minutes drill. Staff was also shown how to look for proper functioning of oxygen supply,” he said.
Drills were also done at IGR, Pachpaoli, Isolation, and Ayush hospitals run by the civic body.
At GMCH, its medicine department, anaesthesia department and office of the medical superintendent held the drills.