BENGALURU: “We have just 2 nurses for 112 patients while the government rules say there should be one nurse for every 10 patients. Sir, is it humanly possible to take care of so many patients?” Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar, who was on a surprise visit to the KC General Hospital late Friday night, got a bigger surprise when a doctor put this poser to him highlighting the plight of the nurses at the hospital. KC General Hospital is one of the designated government hospitals for Covid-19 patients in Bengaluru.
The minister, who saw the hospital’s lack of preparedness to fight the virus, took the administration to task. This is the situation in many Covid hospitals across the State, says the nurses association. According to the Karnataka State Trained Nurses Association, at least 200 nurses have contracted the virus and three of them died due to Covid-19.
“Don’t the administration and the government understand the role of nurses or have they turned a blind eye towards our problems?” asked a nurse from CV Raman General Hospital. The nurses say they are at a greater risk of contracting the virus as they come in direct contact with the patients and for longer hours. “We have to wear those heavy PPEs for hours together and continuously manage the patients,” said a nurse from KC General Hospital.
She alleged that the hospital had not even categorised the Covid and non-Covid wards properly. “In our hospital, of the healthcare workers who have tested positive, majority of them are from non-Covid wards. We are continuously pressurised and our lives are put at risk,” she said. Despite performing their duties amid various challenges like shortage of staff and compromised PPEs, they say their salary is low and they are not given any incentives.
“In addition to the physical exhaustion, we also have mental stress. We are professional nurses, but we are also humans. Like everyone, we too feel helpless, get anxious for our families and fear death. Our seniors motivate us. But how long will their words have a calming effect on us?” asked a junior nurse.
Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar recently said that he had already started appointing nurses through walk-in interviews on contract basis for six months. “This will reduce the pressure of not having enough staff. Even superintendents of the hospitals have been permitted to do walk-in interviews,” he said.