At least 106 healthcare workers at Baba Saheb Ambedkar hosp tested +ve over last one month
NEW DELHI: At least 106 healthcare workers from the 500-bed Baba Saheb Ambedkar hospital in Rohini, have tested positive for Coronavirus over the last one month. The hospital, which saw the maximum number of cases, has more than 200 healthcare staff, including doctors and nurses in quarantine, according to officials.
This also includes medical director of the hospital Dr. MM Kohli. “However, many have finished their quarantine and have joined back,” said the official. At Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (RML) more cases among healthcare workers emerged. “As soon as staff tests positive they are sent to AIIMS Jhajjar if symptomatic,” said a senior resident from the hospital.
The senior doctor said that the healthcare workers are burnt and anxious with the whole situation. “I think a lot of the doctors and nursing staff in the covid wards are getting burnt out, because all the wards are almost full. They are unable to handle the distress and anxiety that the patients face, and they themselves get anxious in return, creating a vicious cycle,” said the doctor.
Other issues that the healthcare workers facing are accommodation, travel and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) among others. “There’s also a number of logistical issues like accomodation, crossing borders, who gets what kind of PPE, over and above the very obvious glaring threat of getting infected,” said the doctor.
Meanwhile, RML is running two telecounselling services for both staff and the patients, which was started 10 days ago. “One is for the patients, and one for staff and doctors. The one for staff is completely voluntary and anonymous, where they call us, not the other way around in the case of patients. So far the utility for the staff telecounselling has been poor, but I think it will pick up.”
Around 500 healthcare workers have tested positive for the infection in Delhi. This means around 6.5% of all the cases recorded in the city are among the healthcare workers.