Not a single PPE kit so far provided to staff at BBH

Rawalpindi : Not a single Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kit has so far been provided to doctors, nurses and paramedical staff for protection against coronavirus disease, COVID-19 here at Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) that has been designated as the specialised healthcare facility in northern region of the Punjab province to deal with coronavirus suspects and patients.

The BBH has established a separate unit for screening of COVID-19 suspects that has been receiving 500 to 800 patients daily on average while an isolation ward and a high dependency unit of the hospitals is being operated to deal with suspected and confirmed patients of the disease.

A number of doctors, nurses and paramedics are serving at the specialized counters for screening of patients, in isolation ward and at the HDU but they have not been given any PPE kit so far by the Punjab health department for protection against COVID-19, said President Young Doctors Association at BBH Dr. Rana Azeem while talking to ‘The News’ on Wednesday.

He said the young doctors, consultants and other staff at the allied hospitals have been arranging personal protective equipment but not kits through donations for the healthcare providers serving in highly contagious environment at the BBH.

It is important that on Monday, the district health department was informed by the Punjab health department that it had dispatched 1000 PPE kits for the staff in healthcare facilities operating in the district under the Punjab government particularly on management of coronavirus illness like BBH and Corona Management Centre at Rawalpindi Institute of Urology. The kits were supposed to be given to healthcare providers on Tuesday but it could not be done.

PPE kit is specialized clothing including gloves, gowns, shoe covers, head covers, masks, respirators, eye protection, face shields and goggles that prevents contact of a healthcare worker with infectious agent or body fluid that may contain infectious agent thus protecting him or her from an infection.

Dr. Azeem said the staff working in isolation ward, HDU and flu filter clinic at BBH has not been provided even N-95 masks. Since March 15, the BBH has been receiving 600 to 700 patients at flu filter clinic daily on average of 12 to 15 are being suspected, he said. He said everything in the name of PPE given to staff at BBH is through public donation and not from the government, he said.

‘The News’ tried to contact Medical Superintendent at BBH Dr. Rafiq Ahmed on Wednesday but he did not make himself available for the comments though talking to ‘The News’ on Wednesday, Executive District Officer (Health) Dr. Sohail Ahmed Chaudhary said the health department has not received any PPE kit so far from the Punjab health department for distribution among hospitals.