Doctors feel unsafe in ‘substandard’ kits

Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 4

Doctors, who are on the front line of the fight against Covid-19, should be the government’s main priority, but they are ill-equipped to win this battle against the deadly virus. The personal protection equipment (PPE) kits provided to them are not up to the mark when it comes to their quality.

Doctors at the Civil Hospital have complained that the quality of PPE kits given to them is below standards.

A few staff members fell unconscious due to low-quality material used in manufacturing of these kits.

Dr Milan Verma, a surgeon from the Civil Hospital, has shot a letter to the Civil Surgeon, Deputy Medical Commissioner, and the District Nodal Officer for Covid-19, raising her concern over the substandard kits. The letter says the PPE kits provided to the staff seem to be made of plastic-like material and their quality is not up to the mark.

Dr Verma says the white-coloured kits supplied to the staff are of poor quality. Glasses and shoe covers were already torn in many kits while some are without masks. A few doctors and paramedics fell unconscious after wearing these kits, says the letter.

“The staff have to go to the isolation ward and they should be fully protected. But they are themselves falling unconscious after wearing these kits. With the sub-standard material used in manufacturing of these kits, there are also chances of the staff getting infected. These kits should be replaced with quality kits that are as per the government standards,” said Dr Verma.

He has also demanded that the company supplying these kits should be blacklisted.

The Senior Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, Dr Geeta, said she would discuss the matter with the higher authorities.

The Civil Surgeon, Dr Rajesh Bagga, said: “The PPE kits provided to the staff at the Civil Hospital are supplied to them by the government. If the staff are facing problems, we will visit the company supplying the kits and also take up the matter with the government.”

Sanyam Aggarwal, District Nodal Officer for Covid-19, said: “These are supplied to us by the department and we further distribute it to hospitals.”

There are 22 suppliers approved by the state government for supplying PPE kits. Barring two suppliers, one from Mohali and the other from Kapurthala, all of them are based in Ludhiana.