Srinagar: From performing duties for 36 hours at a stretch to shelling out money for personal protective gears, the resident doctors at Government Medical College and associated hospitals are going the extra mile to combat the pandemic.
“Nowadays, it feels as if the death angel can hit the gong anytime and take away your life. Last Sunday was one such day. I witnessed how a patient suspected to have COVID-19 struggled with death,” said a junior resident from Department of Medicine, SMHS Hospital.
The young doctor has lost the count of nights he has not slept. With worry lines spread on his careworn appearance, he is determined to win the battle against the deadly coronavirus.
“I don’t know how many such horror-filled nights will come in the future. However, we are readying ourselves for the battle. The PPE given by the department are not enough, so we are spending money from our pocket to purchase them,” he said.
Similarly, a PG resident from Department of ENT, SMHS said the doctors continue to work without any buffer period for the last 25 days. “The buffer period is given so that the doctors can take a day off and go on a quarantine period. If there are any symptoms, they might show up during this period,” he said.
Additionally, the resident doctors are now raising funds among themselves to bring the adequate number of PPEs, he explained.
“The pandemic caught everyone by surprise and the supplies are never enough. So we have decided to chip in and fight the disease,” the doctor said.
The situation is similar in Bone and Joints Hospital, where the doctors are raising funds among themselves to buy a sufficient number of PPEs.
Despite calling Government Medical College Principal, Srinagar Dr. Samia Rashid repeatedly, she was unavailable for the comment.
