Hyderabad: Infection fear stalks Gandhi staff families

Hyderabad: Medical staff including doctors, nurses, ward boys and the like, and also security guards doing Covid-19 duties at Gandhi Hospital are faced with a peculiar situation. They are wearing PPEs (personal protective equipment) and safety masks while on duty at the hospital, but the main concern for them is the safety of their family members back home.

Doctors and other staff are worried whether they themselves are putting their families at risk of infection.

It may be mentioned here that Gandhi hospital is the designated hospital for Covid-19 sample testing and also for admission of virus-infected cases.

Dr Bongu Ramesh, the chairman of the Medical JAC comprising all categories of staff in health department including doctors, stated that they appealed to the Director of Medical Education (DME) to ensure accommodation arrangements within Gandhi hospital for those posted on Covid-19 duties. Junior doctors, nearly 100 of whom, are carrying out Covid-19 duties at Gandhi; however, they have no such problems as the regular doctors do, as they have hostel facility within the premises.

A senior doctor, who did not wish to be quoted, stated that some of the medical staff who are exposed to suspected and positive cases have come up with this request, but no decision has been made. He said many doctors may be averse to the idea of staying within Gandhi hospital after completion of duty as the place is now being crowded with hundreds of suspected and positive cases. The senior doctor said that after reaching home from duty they are dipping their clothes in surf-filled hot water bucket and then taking bath outside near wash area before stepping into house.

Meanwhile, the recent decision of the government to rotate medical staff in teaching hospitals so that they are given break every few days has also come as a big relief to the health staff handling Covid-19 duties.

Junior doctors, for example, are getting a five-day break after serving duty for one day. This break will ensure that they are not exposed to infected patients all the time and would not become overstressed, which was the case until recently.