Amid corona scare: Banga MLA offers to double up as ENT doctor

Deepkamal Kaur

Advertisement

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 21

As the MLA of Banga, the most affected area because of coronavirus, happens to be an ENT surgeon, he has offered to help the administration in providing relief to the affected families.

Akali MLA Dr Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi said he had already been attending all meetings with the Civil Surgeon and teams of doctors and suggesting to them various measures to contain respiratory ailments. He said being a former president of the Nawanshahr IMA, he had told the Civil Surgeon that he and his team were ready to join them for free service round the clock in any emergency-like situation.

Even on Saturday, the MLA took to Facebook to share information regarding the private hospital that he was running at Nawanshahr and his contact details and asked people having symptoms like fever, cough, etc, to visit his hospital. He said, “I have been already attending to all patients with such symptoms, wearing a mask and maintaining a distance of 1 metre from the patient. I am not scared as my staff and I take all precautions. Do not panic. Even I am diabetic. Nothing will happen if we take care of ourselves. Make yourself mentally and physically strong to face the disease.”

The MLA told his constituents via a video message, “I am talking to you not as your MLA but as a doctor. “Stay at home. There is no need to rush for a sanitiser if you are at home. Instead, clean your hands properly with a soap. It is as good as using a sanitiser.” He said, “Do not panic even if you do not get a mask. It is important for a patient and those attending to him to wear a mask but not everyone as we see now-a-days.”

‘No ventilator at Nawanshahr’

Asked about the preparations of the administration to meet any exigency, the MLA said, “I told the officials that if I will point fingers publicly, it would sound as if I am saying so because I am in the Opposition. Whatever shortcomings I found have been shared with the administration and the Civil Surgeon. The major ones are: lack of PPE suits to be used as a protective gear by the doctors and no provision of any ventilator in the entire district for patients. A Covid-19 patient is badly in need of a ventilator as they face breathing problems.”

He added, “I have ventilators in my hospital and I am ready to share them. But we need trained staff to use them. I cannot force my staff to assist these patients if they are unwilling.”