Health workers must have personal protective equipment
With the first COVID-19 related death confirmed by the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), the level of panic amongst the citizens now seems to have intensified severely. With the global death toll on the rise, safety for one's life is more meaningful than ever before. Another cause for concern is how ill-equipped our healthcare workers are in terms of safety gear. A recent report by The Daily Star reveals the frantic situation at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH). Nearly 200 interns had decided to halt their services until the hospital provides them with protective gear. They pointed out that patients with fever and cough come on a daily basis and some of them could be affected by COVID-19, which exposes all health workers if they are not safeguarded with the personal protective equipment (PPE). Although the interns resumed their work later, this situation only goes to show our lack of preparedness for such a crisis.
Needless to say, as the global pandemic is being contended with, the safety of medical staff is a priority and most countries have been able to provide the necessary safety gear at the hospitals treating the patients. And it is during such times that the RMCH authorities have allowed such a careless condition to prevail on their premises.
Another report by this daily sheds light on the lackadaisical attitude displayed by the authorities who are responsible for tackling the virus. From January 21 up until Wednesday, a staggering 631,538 passengers—most of whom are returnees from the virus-hit regions—entered the country, and many were surprisingly allowed to go home on condition of self-quarantine. Where does the assurance lie in such a decision?
We cannot help but wonder whether the nation is fully equipped to prevent an outbreak and treat those who are infected. The failure to enforce home quarantine of the suspected cases across the country, along with the lack of testing facilities and kits, have further confounded the situation. Despite having time to prepare, we have failed to learn from and replicate the best practices from the countries that are hardest hit by the pandemic. The authorities have provided quite a few hotline numbers for the public to call in if they feel they have symptoms of the virus. But many people have complained that they have not been able to get through to any of these hotlines. This will only serve to cause more panic and unnecessary rush to the hospitals, depriving those who may genuinely need their services.
We believe drastic measures need to be taken on an urgent basis. Enough treatment facilities need to be readied across the country, and all medical staff need to be trained accurately and provided with the PPE. There must be strict supervision regarding the quarantine process. Time is of the essence here. So without wasting any more precious time, we must all act with conscientiousness.
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