Updated: September 5, 2020 9:20:17 am
After medical staff raised concerns for their safety, the hospital administration appointed gorillas to protect the doctors.
Up to 80 medical staff members, including 40 doctors and 40 nurses, have left the recently opened giant Covid facility on the CoEP grounds by Friday, raising security concerns.
“At least 80 of our medical staff, including 40 doctors and the same number of nurses, have left the giant facility,” said Sujit Patker, director of Lifeline, which manages the hospital’s operations.
Doctors and nurses had claimed that they feared for their lives from people who were “storming the giant facilities, abusing and threatening.” “Some political party workers had assaulted and abused medical personnel, who later expressed concern for their safety. Doctors are being pressured, RTIs are being shelved … Instead of allowing them to focus on treating Covid-19 patients, their attention is shifting to issues that are not problems, ”said Patker.
He added that medical staff have been leaving the jumbo hospital every day. “Some left just a day after joining, others two days later… Then there are those who have even refused to join,” said Patker.
However, the management of the jumbo hospital has launched a new recruitment campaign. “We will get a full replacement for the medical staff who have resigned. Many have already joined the facility, ”said Patker.
After medical staff raised concerns for their safety, the hospital administration appointed gorillas to protect the doctors. On each shift, five gorillas watch over the doctors. “In fact, this was one of the conditions of our contract. We have not done anything outside of the contract.
Gorillas are needed as some people are trying to vitiate the atmosphere instead of allowing doctors to focus on saving the lives of patients, “said Patker.
Hospital management said the problem started when patients were “abandoned” on the premises. “They told us that patients would be admitted in phases. In the first week, we were supposed to support 25 percent of the patient’s total strength. However, we had to see more than 400 patients in the 800-bed jumbo facility. Patients were virtually abandoned from other hospitals. We were suddenly overburdened with critically ill patients as we had asked physicians to join in due to increased patient admissions, ”said Patker.
He added that management was told not to deny admission to any patients. “Therefore, we allow the admission of all patients. A large number of critically ill patients requiring respiratory assistance were admitted to the facility. Patients are being transferred at a critical stage… In the last 10 days there have been 35 deaths. All of these were brought from other hospitals in extremely critical condition, ”he said.
Referring to the death of television journalist Pandurang Raikar, Patkar said: “The journalist’s family and friends wanted to transfer him to another private hospital. We had no problem with that. However, at least three cardiac ambulances that were sought by the journalist’s family were not suitable for transferring the patient to the private hospital. One of the ambulances did not have a ventilator, in another the ventilator did not work and the third did not have ventilators or a doctor. In such a situation, how are we responsible? Our doctors did everything possible to save the patient … they brought him in critical condition. “
By Friday night, 11 patients had recovered and were transferred from the ICU to oxygen beds.
Meanwhile, at the Nehrunagar jumbo hospital on the PCMC boundaries, the civic administration has decided not to admit patients transferred from other hospitals. The civic administration has decided to learn lessons from the jumbo CoEP facility in PMC’s jurisdiction. “Initially we are admitting only those patients who come for tests at YCM Hospital. So far, around 150 patients have been admitted to our facility, ”said Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar.
On Thursday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar also urged the PCMC administration to take all necessary measures to avoid situations such as the one developed at the jumbo hospital on the PMC boundaries.
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