'Govt must collect data on medical frontline warriors immediately': IMA

While the Indian government has stated that it does not have data on frontline warriors who died fighting COVID19 a recent study by a medical journal in the UK shows that medical professionals and their household members contributed a sixth of COVID19 cases Medical professionals and their household members faced threefold and twofold risk respectively of contracting COVID19In the backdrop of these findings the Indian Medical Associations IMA state arm requested the State and Centre to be sensitive about frontline warriors and that they and their families cannot be ignoredDr Avinash Bhondwe president IMA Maharashtra said The Prime Minister saluted doctors by asking people to clap But the government did not take cognisance of how many doctors and their families got COVID The IMA through its network has estimated the death toll of private doctors in India to be 800 till Nov 2 This includes 61 from Maharashtra The COVID death rate for doctors is 10 per cent six times higher than the national average death rate of 16 per centDr Avinash Bhondwe president IMA MaharashtraThe number of government doctors who got COVID and died is not known Infected doctors were not prioritised by the government Resident doctors did not get regular salaries there were no designated suppliers for PPE kits and private practitioners were left to fend for themselves said Dr BhondweDr Bhondwe added that a few government doctors who expressed their concerns were verbally abused by district administrative staff especially in Maharashtra The government must stick to its promises and walk the talk said Dr BhondweBritish Medical Journals findingsAccording to Dr Wiqar Shaikh senior allergy and asthma specialist British Medical Journals BMJ study in the UK studied 38 lakh people 158 lakh medical professionals between 18 to 65 years and 229 lakh household membersThose who treated COVID patients were three times more likely to contract COVID19 and their families faced double the risk of infection than those who didnt The risk for others was similar to that of the general public A sixth of the COVID19 cases in hospitals belonging to these highrisk groups is a shockingly large number for a developed country One wonders what Indias figures would be Dr Shaikh saidNot only are such studies urgently required in India it is also imperative that solutions be found and strictly adhered to concluded Dr ShaikhDr Subhash Hira professor of Global Health at the University of WashingtonSeattle USA said Instead of adding more cumbersome protective gears the study has recommended a weekly switch work roster between patientfacing and nonpatientfacing health workers to reduce susceptibility to COVID19Dr Hira added COVID health workers are applauded by our national leaders akin to sacrifices made by our armed forces Yet the token social compensation declared by our state governments on death or disability of COVID warriors is not implemented Any industrial house can use CSR funds to launch this compensation scheme in partnership with the governmentDr Ketan Vagholkar professor of Surgery D Y Patil Medical College said Initially all health workers were in hotels and hostels But as the overhead expenses started increasing this practice was stopped This increased the incidence of infection among family members of frontline workersDr Vahgolkar added We should learn from the BMJ study and ensure adequate testing of frontline medical professionals supporting staff and their family membersDr Vagholkar continued Education of medical professionals and hospital staff on precautionary measures should be overemphasised There is a feeling of fatigue in abiding by preventive measures Therefore surveillance of medical professionals should continue16National average COVID death rate10Approx COVID death rate among doctors in IndiaWhat can India doDr Shaikhs dos for govt for frontline medical professionals Highquality prevention and control measures Adequate supply of standardised PPE kits preferably with an ISI mark and other protective equipment such as N95 masks face shields gloves sanitisers etc for all medical professionals Free nationwide RTPCR tests for medical professionals and their household members Insurance policy Adequate nutrition and timely payment of salariesKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news