Address PPE shortage immediately
The streets of Dhaka are almost empty now as a 10-day national holiday aiming to ensure social distancing and limiting mobility of the mass public has started in order to contain the coronavirus outbreak. The scene is almost the same in places outside the capital as well. However, the decision came later than it should have been. Already 300,000 people have gone in touch with their relatives and this may result in more people needing treatment. For the physicians, that will be a big challenge.
Because coronavirus is highly contagious, the patients need separate hospitals that have all logistical facilities. Eight hospitals have been enlisted to treat the coronavirus patients, but most of them are yet to be prepared.
Secondly, we need a good number of physicians and nurses to treat the patients. And their security has to be ensured first. From China to the USA, we have seen that many health professionals have fallen victim to the virus while treating the patients. Our physicians have been demanding PPE from the very beginning. Many of them have stopped seeing patients at their chambers. The intern doctors at Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet have observed work abstention to press home the demand, saying they won’t work unless they are provided with the PPE.
If we cannot provide them with PPE, we cannot expect them to treat the patients, no matter how many directives the authorities issue. The physicians had long been demanding PPE but even the health minister said the situation was under control and PPE was not needed. Such a remark from the minister is unacceptable. If we look at the other countries, we will know what need to be done. And the policymaker also need to look into the quality of the PPE.
The most important thing right now is to ensure supply of PPE. We will need 1 million PPE over the enxt three months but we have only 66,000. We have received 10,000 PPE from China yesterday, but that is far from ideal. A number of private organisations have said they would make PPE, but we need to examine first if they meet the WHO standard.