MADIKERI: Amid the COVID second wave, Kodagu district is faced with a massive staff crunch in the healthcare department, with numerous calls for appointment of staff not bearing results. The district requires 500 staff nurses in total to manage the healthcare sector efficiently, but over 70% of the posts remain vacant. The brunt of this crunch is faced by the minimal staff who are working overtime to enable proper treatment for patients. Their plight gets worse when some of the staff are laid low by COVID-19.
The District Dialysis Centre in Madikeri, which was running at Madikeri District Hospital, has now shifted its base to the Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences following the pandemic. A total of 71 patients regularly report to the centre for dialysis and eight staff nurses alongside three Group D workers enabled treatment and care of these patients. However, a dialysis patient who visited the centre to avail treatment had tested positive for COVID-19 and reported to the dialysis centre despite the infection.
“A week ago, a COVID positive patient underwent dialysis treatment at the centre. This resulted in the spread of COVID-19 to the staff nurses. Five nurses and one Group D worker among the total 11 staff at the centre tested positive,” explained a staff nurse requesting anonymity. This resulted in five nurses being ordered to undergo isolation, resulting in shortage of hands at the dialysis centre.
“We have to continue the dialysis treatment to the patients. Out of the 71 regular patients, 57 are currently reporting to the centre as the rest of the patients are COVID positive and being treated separately. Only three nurses are conducting dialysis on 57 patients and this has forced us to work in double shifts,” she explained. The nurses report to the centre as early as 7.30 am and work for over twelve hours a day to continue treating the patients. While they did not complain, work stress, they say, is inevitable.