The frontline warrior’s nurses of KEM hospital are forced to take face-shield home and the nurses allege their lives are at risk!!
Mumbai: The frontline workers dedicated nursing staff working in COVID-19 wards of BMC-run-King Edward Memorial (KEM) hospital allege that the management is not bothered about their lives. They are forced to carry face-shield to their homes as authorities are not making any arrangements for the separate lockers to keep face-shield, the nurses alleged.
The doctors, nurses and other staff working in COVID-19 wards are at high risk of transmission of virus. The state government and city civic body has been continuously claiming that the frontline warriors are provided with equipments like mask, hand sanitizers, personal protective equipment and face-shield so as they are well equipped to take care of COVID-19 patients.
However the ground reality narrated by a senior nurse attached with KEM hospital and a frontline warrior for Coronavirus patients has alleged that there is gross negligence and is costing huge for the entire frontline warriors who are also getting infected to virus.
Talking to TheNews21 she alleged, “The senior authorities are careless about lives of nurses and other staff leading to which in every 8-10days cycle one or two are tested positive from COVID-19 wards in KEM hospital. There are no separate arrangements made by the authorities to keep face-shield for each of us. They are not providing any locker to the staff, after raising the concern over mixing of face-shields with each other the authorities are now asking me to take it home. With poor quality and badly maintained medical equipment’s nurses are risking their lives and in return now the lives of our families too.”
The senior nurse who has raised the issue with the in-charge and matrons however no one pays heed to the concern raised by the frontline warriors of COVID-19 wards.
The same nurse after swab test has gone quarantine at her residence. She has also shared the picture of face-shield she had to carry home.
The nurses working in COVID-19 wards of KEM allege that they are in constant touch with patients in ward. They have to ensure many things COVID-19 patient while in treatment like injection and in oxygen. And having ill-equipped medical protective gears several test positive for COVID-19 either symptomatic or asymptomatic.
“The face-shield after use in wards are put in hydrochloric acid and later these are kept in one container (drum). Eventually the following day any one of us will use anyone else’s face-shield, “further alleged the nurse.
When TheNews21 contacted Amey Ghole Shiv Sena corporator and head of BMC Health Committee refuted all the allegations made by the nurses and he said, “The BMC does not provide face-shield to staff, it has come through CSR activity. If the nurses have any issue they can come to me with their grievances, I can definitely look into the issue.”
