Fear grips Bangladeshi doctors and nurses as the government did not provide much needed training to them for using the personal protective equipment (PPE) while dealing with patients infected by novel coronavirus.
Bangladesh has confirmed the presence of the virus with three persons identified with COVID-19. All have recovered now with one went back home.
The World Health Organisation issued guidelines for doctors and other healthcare workers over management of patients. The UN health agency also suggested taking care of their mental health also.
“We didn’t get the training yet,” said a doctor at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital to Bangladesh Post. He cannot be quoted for his government job. Many doctors are expressing their concerns in social media. “Nurses or ward boys of my unit don’t have any training either,” the doctor said, “We don’t know how to wear PPE to attend a coronavirus patient.”
PPE includes show cover, gown, mask, eye protection and gloves. Shoe cover should always be worn before entering the patient care area such as isolation ward. If gowns are not fluid resistant, WHO recommends using a water proof apron for procedures with expected high fluid volumes that might penetrate the gown.
Director of the government’s disease monitoring arm, IEDCR, Prof Meerjady Sabrina Flora, however, told Bangladesh Post that they would provide training before sending any patients to any hospital.
“We have dedicated hospitals for coronavirus patients’ management. For others we’ll give them training gradually. We are working on that,” she said.
A doctor, however, said PPE is very crucial at this moment. “We know how to manage such kind of patients. But if we don’t have the PPE, then how we will handle patients. I’ll not be surprised if someone flees the hospital seeing a patient.”
“It takes training how to wear the PPE properly. If we don’t know it properly, then we can be infected,” the doctor added.
“Apart from 1 or two hospitals, there is no supply of PPE,” said another doctor, adding that the director general asked them to manage locally. “How can he say this at this situation?”
“Doctors are concerned,” said another doctor. “If someone dies from coronavirus in a hospital, then how will the body be taken away from the hospital? There are guidelines for that. But our staff don’t have that knowledge. It requires training. There was no training for that,” said a doctor at Suhrawardhy Medical College Hospital.
Another doctor said any patient can come with coronavirus to any doctor. “Some doctors were quarantined because they came in contact with patients diagnosed with coronavirus. Neither those patients had any idea about their condition, nor the doctors about those patients. They went to the doctors with other health problems. So we need training. It’s a new disease. We need to follow certain protocols.”
According to the WHO, treatment venue must be determined by the severity of the disease. Suspected and confirmed cases should be isolated and treated at designated hospitals with effective isolation, protection, and prevention condition in place.
A suspected and mild case can be treated in isolation in a single room. Confirmed cases can be treated in the hospital. Critical cases should be admitted to ICU as soon as possible.
The IEDCR director said they are conducting basic training through online and video conferencing. Gradually we’ll cover all healthcare workers.
People have been asked not be panicked as the disease did not spread within Bangladesh so far. But all have been advised to take preventive measures such as washing hands with soap frequently at least for 20 seconds, cover cough and sneezing and keep at least 1 meter distance from the affected person.