Discrimination irks private doctors
MUMBAI: Dr Zabir Hussain, 51, a general physician from Chembur, who also worked with government ambulance service (108) for Covid-19 patients at night, died on May 23. The sole breadwinner is survived by his wife and three teenaged children. While the family so far managed the household with Hussain’s salary of ₹27,000 for May, they now plan to return to their hometown in Uttar Pradesh.
“My father had to feed four mouths, which left him with no savings. My mother can’t work as she is illiterate. We have therefore decided to go back to our hometown,” said Adil, his 17-year-old son.
Like Hussain, 17 other private physicians have succumbed to Covid-19 infection in Maharashtra since the outbreak in March, according to data available with the Indian Medical Association (IMA). Additionally, 180 doctors have been diagnosed with Sarscov-2 virus that causes Covid-19, and more than 1,500 physicians have been quarantined all across the state.
Members of IMA said their records do not reflect the real picture owing to poor collection of data, and the actual numbers are likely to be higher than what exists on paper.
As gatekeepers in screening Covid-19 patients, the state, under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, had directed private physicians to keep their clinics open. Doctors said, in addition to not providing them with personal protective equipment (PPE) despite being highly susceptible to the infection, the state government has not included private practitioners under the Covid-19 insurance cover of ₹50 lakh.
On the eve of National Doctor’s Day, the Maharashtra chapter of IMA in an open letter stated that their decision to observe and not celebrate July 1 as ‘Atma-samman Divas’ as protest against what they describe as discrimination meted out towards private doctors.
Doctors said the credit for
MENSTRUAL CYCLE, STIGMA: WOMEN DOCTORS’ WORRY
MUMBAI: Working for six hours straight donning personal protective equipment (PPE) inside a Covid-19 ward is tough, especially for women doctors during their monthly menstrual cycle. The social discrimination that they face makes it worse, said most doctors HT spoke to ahead of the National Doctor’s Day (July 1).
Dr Reshma Shinde, a resident doctor in pathology department at KEM Hospital, Parel, said even as they are being honoured as Covid warriors, she is experiencing stigma that is attached to the highly contagious infection. In an open letter, Shinde wrote, “Though my house was blessed with praises for my work, marriage proposals had stopped knocking my house doors. It took me no time to realise, that, it was due to the stigma associated with the word ‘COVID’. I started feeling very low as I
patients’ recovery goes to the medical fraternity. “The government declared insurance of ₹50 lakh for every healthcare worker. Later on the policemen were included...but the private doctors’ plea for a similar insurance was ignored. Even the doctors were ready to pay the premium could only see my dreams of marriage getting shattered (sic).”
Shinde told HT, “That’s the mentality of the society. We are being stigmatised for saving lives of patients.”
Another 28-year-old resident doctor who is on duty at Sevenhills hospital also had a similar experience. “The groom’s family approached my father through a matrimonial website in February. We started chatting and everything was going fine until April, when I was put on Covid-19 duty,” she said. “He started to pressure me to stop going to the hospital, which I couldn’t as it is my responsibility. In May, they cancelled the marriage proposal.”
“During periods, we lose additional water and blood, which makes us weak and dehydrated. In safety suits for six hours, we can’t even go to the bathroom to change sanitary napkins. Then come
amount for this insurance, at the same rate by which the government will pay the premium of these healthcare workers,” reads the open letter sent by IMA on June 30. The kin of Dr Mithkesh Rampal Singh said they are not covered under Covid-19 insurance although the general physician the cramps that burn us out,” said Dr Shinde.
Dr Sudeshna Salvi from the Grant Medical College, also known as JJ Hospital, said how once she had forgotten her date of menstrual cycle and started bleeding in her PPE suit. “I had no option as I was on my duty and I couldn’t open my PPE which could have been too risky. I spent six hours standing as I couldn’t sit,” she said. Dr Gautam Bhansali, in-charge of private Covid-19 hospitals in Mumbai, said women doctors have been working braving all odds. “If any woman doctor wants to postpone the duty dates around their menstrual cycle, we do it immediately. It takes a toll on a woman to work for hours wearing PPE during that time of the month. But hats off to them, for they always work with full devotion and enthusiasm,” he said. contracted the infection on duty and died on June 8. “While treating an asymptomatic patient in a hospital, he got exposed to the virus. In this backdrop, he should get insurance,” said Dr Vimal Singh, brother of the deceased doctor. “The money could have secured his wife’s life .”