Not worried about coronavirus; apathy of government, admin is what concerns us: AIIMS healthcare workers

NEW DELHI: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, is witnessing more and more healthcare workers falling prey to coronavirus. While the main complex is not taking in any Covid patients, the Jai Prakash Narayan Trauma Centre has been turned into a designated Covid facility.

Yet, the increasing number of HCWs getting infected with the virus is a growing concern amongst the doctors and medical staff of the premier institute.

Around 195 healthcare workers have tested positive at AIIMS so far with over 50 healthcare personnel, including one MBBS student, three resident doctors, eight nurses and five mess workers, testing positive in the last two days. Others include laboratory staff, technicians, sanitation staff and security guards.

“It’s not the virus that we are worried about. It’s the apathy of the government and the AIIMS administration that worries us. If this continues, we will be short of HCWs to treat patients. Since March we have been writing and fighting for the safety of hostel premises, poor sanitation, lack of proper quarantine protocol and need for adequate testing,” said Dr Srinivas Rajkumar T, General Secretary, RDA, AIIMS-New Delhi.

Another issue plaguing the HCWs of AIIMS is the lack of good quality N95 masks and other components of PPE kits.“The N95 masks do not meet even MOHFW safety standards forget international standards. Our relentless pursuit of resident welfare has been met with threats of FIR from administration and attempts to jeopardise the career of RDA executives by the administration,” added Dr Srinivas.

One of the AIIMS’ sanitation supervisors, who had tested positive for COVID-19, died on Sunday, while a mess worker at the AIIMS had succumbed to the disease last week.