SRINAGAR, March 28 (KINS): In absence of proper protective gear, senior doctors are allegedly forcing their juniors to go inside isolation wards at Chest Disease Hospital Srinagar where coronavirus patients are admitted.
“Senior doctors should have been at the forefront. But unfortunately authorities are forcing junior doctors even from Anesthesia Department to see coronavirus patients,” a junior doctor told Kashmir Indepth News Service, wishing not be quoted by name, fearing for reprisal.
The junior doctor said senior consultants and residents prefer to stay away from coronavirus patients.“Hospital administration is playing with the lives of junior doctors by forcing them to go inside isolation wards without any proper protective gear,” another junior doctor said.
He said they feel as authorities have left them as cannon fodder.“We (junior doctors) too have families. Who will like to go inside a ward without proper protection gear where coronavirus suspected patients are kept,” he asked.A female doctor said they fear without working in proper protective gear.
“There are no adequate numbers of masks in hospitals for the staff,” she said. She said several doctors have been quarantined after coming in contact with coronavirus patients as former were not wearing proper protective gear.
At least seven doctors of various hospitals who had seen a coronavirus patient from Hyderpora Srinagar were quarantined. Earlier, two female doctors were put under observation when they complained of fever and running following contacting with suspected cases of coronavirus.However the authorities refuted the allegation and said that the senior doctors regularly attend the round in isolation along with a group of junior doctors. “It is baseless allegation.
We are providing adequate and good quality PPE to the doctors besides the senior doctors are always been at the front. Doctors from Anaesthesia department have to manage ICU as part of critical care,” said one of the top officials in the hospital.The official added that if any junior doctor has any complaint he should approach the administration. Principal Government Medical College Srinagar Dr Samia Rashid said she will look into the matter.
