DGHS asks docs to provide patients primary care even without PPE
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on Wednesday issued an order asking the physicians to provide primary care to patients with symptoms of novel coronavirus infection even if they do not have personal protection equipment (PPE).
The order created concern among the physicians about their personal safety and that of their families.
PPE is an outfit made in keeping with World Health Organisation (WHO) protocol to ensure safety of the physicians while treating a patient suffering from a highly infectious disease like COVID-19.
PPE includes a medical mask, a gown, goggles, face shield, heavy duty gloves and boots.
The order signed by DGHS director (hospitals) Aminul Hasan said, “If anyone displays symptoms of COVID-19, the physician will provide the patient with primary health care. The patient will then be sent to a physician who is equipped with PPE.”
The order also said no government or private hospital can refuse to treat any patient.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, Aminul Hasan said the first physician will provide treatment maintaining a distance from the patient. The second physician has been asked to wear PPE since he will examine the patient thoroughly.
The Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control And Research (IEDCR) in a news release on Wednesday, said it has 357,000 PPE of which 291,000 pieces have been distributed.
Aminul Hasan claimed the distributed PPEs have reached to the physicians.
Physicians have told Prothom Alo that a PPE set cannot be used more than once. However, a physician, wishing not to be named, said at some places physicians were asked to share parts of a PPE set among themselves.
The authorities of Salimullah Medical College Hospital, health department in Khulna and the civil surgeon of Mymensingh issued orders to the physicians to collect PPE sets.
A letter written by civil surgeon ABM Mashiul Alam said the director general of DGHS ordered to collect PPEs locally since PPEs are not being supplied centrally despite letters demanding these.
He also asked the physicians to prepare at least 20 sets of surgical gowns, caps, masks and reuse these after ‘autoclaving’ (a process of sterilising medical equipment) daily.
He further said the authorities directed him to tell the physicians to use raincoats, kitchen gloves and masks made of cotton.
Physicians working at various medical college hospitals informed the authorities about the scarcity of PPE since the detection of COVID-19 patients in the country.
They alleged the government was negligent in this regard. The order was issued on Wednesday in this situation.