BENGALURU: A Bengaluru healthcare administrator has started an online petition demanding the safety of doctors and healthcare workers. Srikant Subudhi, Unit Head, Fortis La Femme Hospital and Healthcare Administrator in Bengaluru, has started the petition -- ‘Protection of Healthcare Workers during the pandemic COVID-19’.
He said the petition is addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Though the 21- day lockdown is a good move, the need of the hour is to take care of the health staff who are in the frontline fighting the disease, he added. He said the government has not hastened the process of getting personal protective equipment (PPE) or even the N95 masks.
Speaking to TNIE, Subudhi said, “PPE is a national emergency and we are facing a shortage. Not just PPE, there is a shortage of sanitisers and masks. The government claims there is enough stock. We have only 40% of the required PPE, which is just not good enough. The health workers need to be given PPE, but in many places, they are working without these, putting their lives at risk. This is true of especially government hospitals.
And due to this, the doctors may end up getting infected and then who will treat the people?” He said, “There are cases in India where doctors were asked to wear helmets and raincoats while treating patients, and the healthcare workers asked to buy their own protective equipment. Some hospitals do not even have the basic handwash solution.”