Hyderabad: Fear grips doctors treating corona victims

Hyderabad: With reports emerging of the death of frontline warriors from different parts of the nation, doctors fighting the Covid-19 in the State started losing their nerve. The Telangana Senior Resident Doctors' Association has threatened to boycott the services if demands are not fulfilled.

As per the official records, a total of eight doctors and several nurses lost their lives while fighting Covid-19, during the past one year across the State.

In the wake of the existing scenario, the Association has made a representation to the government demanding upgrading safety provisions of the doctors working as frontline warriors. The association demanded revival of quarantine leave, providing facility for quarantine and also provision of standard PPE kits to protect doctors, as the virus turned airborne.

Dr M Naresh, who treats infected patients at Chest hospital, said that the doctors who were treating Covid-19 patients have recently died owing to the inadequate provisions and this led to an increase in anxiety levels amongst the other doctors.

"We understand our responsibilities and serve the patients, but we need some assurance from the government and provisions like quarantine leave should be revived like before."

He said that the Director of Medical Education has cancelled the quarantine leave after Covid-19 came down last year. "Now the virus is at its peak and we are working five days a week, which is dangerous."

Demanding quarantine facility, another doctor, Dr Javed Ali said that going home after treating severely infected patients can be risky not only for them, but for their families. "Virus can be transmitted to our families, risking their lives. For averting possible risks, the government should also arrange accommodation for us during our quarantine. The doctors need three days quarantine after three days of work, as earlier," he added.

Emphasising the requirement of standard PPE kits, he pointed out that they no longer trust the old kits as the virus turned airborne. "We demand the government to provide standard PPE kits. The association has threatened to boycott the services if demands are not fulfilled.

The Director of Medical Education himself is tested positive to the virus and undergoing treatment," he said.

In the latest instance, a senior pulmonologist Dr Ishwar Reddy, who has been treating corona-infected patients since last year, lost his life on Thursday.

Recently a video of a woman doctor from Maharashtra went viral on social media, in which she not only explained about the severity of the second wave of corona virus but also requested the public to protect themselves and their family.