Srinagar: Tired of government apathy, the resident doctors at SMHS Hospital have threatened to close down Out Patient Department for two hours daily till they are provided with protective gear against COVID-19.
Around 50 junior and senior residents of surgical and medical departments on Friday shut down the OPD for two hours to press for their demands.
Sensing trouble, the administration went into overdrive to provide protective kits to the doctors.
Doctors have vowed to continue with the daily two-hour protest till they are not equipped with required protective equipment.
A senior resident at SMHS Hospital said the step was taken after the administration paid no heed to their multiple requests.
“In the face of an ever-increasing public health emergency, we are made to work without any masks and hand sanitizers,” he said.
The doctor noted that World Health Organization protocols demand that every hospital should follow “Triaging”.
“Triaging is the process of determining the priority of patients’ treatment based on the severity of their condition. That means if they have reported severe symptoms, the patients were supposed to go to a separate wing rather than coming directly into the casualty,” he said.
Given the limited resources available at the hospital, the doctors were entertaining every patient into the casualty until the maiden case of COVID-19 was reported in Kashmir. This sent the alarm bells ringing across the communities.
“Now, when the threat of the virus is directly looming over our head, we cannot be expected to work without the protective gear and entertain every patient at the same time,” said another resident doctor.
He stressed that an ill-equipped doctor can become a source of infection for many patients who visit him for treatment.
“The nature of the virus is highly contagious. When you are making a healthcare professional work without any protective gear, he can become a source of infection for scores of people. If the authorities are not bothered about us, they should at least care for the people,” the doctor said.
Medical Superintendent SMHS hospital Dr. Nazir Chowdhary said the supplies of personal protection kits have been replenished. “We will ensure that doctors are provided the required protection equipment as there are sufficient supplies available now,” Dr. Nazir said.
