Telangana doctors bear the brunt of Covid-19

Naveen S Garewal

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, June 7

Telangana’s true COVID-19 warriors, the doctors treating coronavirus patients have become the single largest group that has been affected by the deadly virus.

Government said that by the weekend 71 doctors, many working in state run hospitals had contracted positive and many more reports were still due. This includes some medical interns and house doctors who have shouldered responsibility to treat the sick along with the specialists.

It is estimated that in total about 150 health care professionals have been affected by COVID-19. Two interns and one postgraduate doctor of the Government Dental College have tested positive. The government dental hospitals are performing all procedures, while the private dental clinics have generally remained close, but even those that have opened are not doing any procedures that make droplets from patients mouth fly in air.

From the prestigious Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad, three more post-graduate students have tested positive, taking the total number from this institution to 41. For the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences located on Road Number 1, Banjara Hills, seven new cases from among the doctors have been reported taking the total number here to 26. Two professors in Gandhi Medical College also tested positive on Friday.

Five departments of NIMS were ordered to close from Sunday to June 9 as sanitisation is to be carried out in the specialty block. About 20 doctors from private hospitals who treated COVID-19 patients have been home quarantined. The most affected are small and medium hospitals which do not have a dedicated isolation ward.

The out-patient and in-patient services for medical and surgical gastroenterology, urology, cardiology and surgical oncology have been affected. Doctors can opt for tele-counselling and rotational basis duties have been allotted.

With reports of much lower testing than desired, the Telangana Junior Doctors Association has been pushing for more testing of medical personnel. So far, only those who have developed symptoms and those who have come in contact with Covid-positive persons are being tested.

In the absence of aggressive testing the vice president of Indian Medical Association (IMA), Dr Narsinga Reddy says scarring lungs is an indication of the virus and we are taking that as the first option and clinical evaluation of patients. Those whose lungs are affected are being isolated.

However, a junior doctor said, “The government has told us that there are limitations and all of us cannot be tested at one go. Hence, phase-wise testing is going to be carried out.”

Concerned with growing number of cases among doctors and other health staff, state Health minister Etala Rajendar visited the Gandhi Hospital and other places where all such persons are admitted. There is a fear if more doctors get affected by the virus, it may have an adverse impact on the health care system.