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Lack of proper safety, unplanned preparedness poses great risk


Published : 03 Apr 2020 09:20 PM | Updated : 06 Sep 2020 03:50 PM

Due to inadequate protective and safety gears medical practitioners in hospitals and diagnostic laboratories are facing difficulties in dealing with the current corona crisis. Doctors, nurses, security personnel and others involved in the fight against the deadly virus are working round the clock amid risk due to inadequate protective logistic supports.

Many of the medical practitioners expressed that they do not feel safe working in a condition where they are exposed to the virus without having to properly protect themselves from the virus. Experts also criticized poor preparedness about dealing with the crisis, especially in handling with the returning migrant workers from ‘high risk’ countries.

Experts of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) and the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said that the country is passing through a crucial phase with as the number of coronavirus patients is increasing gradually in the country. They said that the country’s preparedness to prevent the spread of COVID-19 or the novel coronavirus infection is inadequate till now. They also suggested that more hospitals should be designated for coronavirus treatment.

According to Professor Meerjady Sabrina Flora of the IEDCR, Bangladesh is now passing though a crucial period. So, every citizen should follow physician’s suggestions during this time of crisis. She said, they were monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely and decisions could change any time, as the situation was fluid.

Asked about an inadequacy of treatment facilities, she said, “I won’t say the facilities are inadequate compared to the number of patients at this moment. We are increasing the number of hospitals designated specially for COVID-19 treatment.” Talking about the allegation of inadequate preparations to cope with the virus, she said, “Preparedness is a continuous process and we are not in a negative stage in terms of preparation. Diagnostic centres have been increasing so that people can easily complete their tests. Even a developed nation like America has been failing to provide treatment due to lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other necessary items.”

In a major report on Bangladesh and its handling of the Covid-19 crisis entitled “Defusing Bangladesh’s Covid-19 time-bomb,” the South Asia Centre of Washington DC-based think tank the Atlantic Council has provided a useful overview of where things stand today in Bangladesh with respect to the crisis.

The lack of preparation in the United States and Europe that has spawned the ongoing crisis there still exceeds the preparedness of developing countries such as Bangladesh, which will have to battle the Covid-19 pandemic with limited financial resources and a legacy of poor healthcare infrastructure, especially for the urban poor.

Already one of the most densely populated countries in the world, Bangladesh also has thousands of stateless Rohingya housed in sprawling refugee camps in the south-eastern region of the country, in conditions prime for rapid spread. Given its proximity to China and a large migrant population living in severely affected countries such as Italy, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare should have taken preventative measures when the Chinese government first shared news of the deadly virus. Unfortunately, precious time was squandered.

Meanwhile, inadequate protective gear is also leaving the county’s health workers at high risk. Doctors, nurses and the staff at hospitals around the country are putting themselves at risk while trying to identify and treat those infected with Covid-19, and to stop the virus from spreading further.

However, exposure and a significant lack of protective gear are now fuelling concerns for the safety of these healthcare personnel in Bangladesh. Health workers say their fear of getting exposed is increasing as they do not have adequate personal protective equipment (PPE)-- like masks, gloves, and gowns — and infected patients could walk into the hospital at any moment.

The public hospitals in Dhaka and other parts of the country are yet to take any foolproof preventative measures. There are not many hospitals that are checking temperatures of people at the entrance, and only a few public hospitals have mandatory hand-washing or sanitising facilities.

Several medical practitioners of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) are already in home quarantine on suspicion of being exposed and infected with Covid-19.Requesting anonymity, a junior doctor at DMCH said that they are not getting enough PPE against the number of junior doctors who work at their department every day.

“At least 30 people work in one shift in my department, but only five PPE sets are provided every day. Because of this, I personally buy mine at Tk230 a set from an online shop every working day,” said the doctor.