Doctors Demand Quality Evaluation Of PPE Kits

The Federation of Government Doctors Association (FOGDA) has raised concern over the quality of the personal protection equipment (PPE) kits being provided to the government doctors and the other frontline health workers who are treating Covid-19 patients and demanded for evaluation of the standard of the kits.
Recalling their representation to the state health secretary on April 18, 2020, state coordinator of FOGDA Dr T Aruleeswaran said, “The quality of the PPE kits should be ensured across the state. It should be made of non-woven fabric of polypropylene with 70 GSM not less than 70. We are forced to make the demand after some of the doctors treating Covid-19 patients contracting the infection in Chennai. Experts should validate the quality.”

While making a slew of demands such as six hours duty for doctors at Covid-19 wards, supply of PPE kits to doctors involved in surgeries, interventional and diagnostic procedures, the association also pitched for exclusive accommodation for the frontline health workers across the state.

As far as Trichy district is concerned, the district administration reserved 40 rooms in six hotels in the city to accommodate doctors and nurses in isolation for one week during their duty at the isolation wards for Covid-19 patients. The post-graduate doctors and the nurses have been made to stay at the hotels while the hospital workers have been given accommodation in the recently-constructed women’s hostel at KAP Viswanatham Government Medical College (KAPVGMC) in Trichy.

“They have been staying in the hotel rooms starting from Monday. The food is also being prepared for them separately,” said Trichy collector S Sivarasu.

Doctors, nurses and hospital workers on duty at the Covid-19 isolation ward at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital for a stretch of one week will be staying in the hotel rooms during the period. They will be tested for Covid-19. If they test negative, they will be given duty at non-Covid wards and allowed to go home. In case of testing positive, they will be isolated at the hospital for treatment.

On the availability of the PPE kits in Trichy, the collector said that the district had 4,092 kits for the frontline workers.

Dr Aruleeswaran also spoke on the likelihood of PPE kits meant for treating HIV positive patients being given to the health workers, while taking swab from patients at government Taluk hospitals in the state. “PPE kits for HIV positive treatment may not be as protective as the kit for Covid-19. So, such kits should not be given,” he said.

-Times Of India