Not worth the risk: Delhi doctor employed at makeshift COVID facility resigns over alleged safety issues

The 23-year-old junior doctor has alleged several instances of inconsistencies and mismanagements in the facility including lack of proper space for the healthcare workers to change their PPE kits, poor quality of the PPE kits, and the lack of co-operation from the authorities. The doctor alleged that she emailed the authorities regarding the shortcomings of the hospital but instead received a warning from one of the senior residents of Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital.

The junior resident doctor did not receive any termination letter but she decided to quit her job finding the hospital ambience unfit for work. The doctor admitted that when she first joined her work on May 14th, she had only eight patients in the facility and though she worked for 8 hours, there was no tremendous pressure of work. Soon she started taking note of the alleged inconsistencies in the hospital, she noticed that the donning and doffing area which is a separate space for healthcare workers to put on or remove their safety equipment and PPE kits did not have a separate partition.

The room had a door in front of it through which several medical personnel, administrative staff, and other patients can easily walk out and walk in. "So while someone is doffing, simultaneously in that area, someone is donning and that makes no sense because while someone is taking the virus off, someone else is taking it in the same room," the doctor informed Scroll.

She also pointed out the substandard quality of the PPE kits and alleged that the kits tore easily and did not come in different sizes to fit all the medical professionals. "I would sweat and within 20 minutes the sweat would drip from the kit and that is how I know it is substandard," she said. The kits are best to be used by a person who is five feet and two inches tall. "I am five foot four, and I just managed to fit into it. I do not know how the men managed because they are much taller", added the doctor.

According to the daily, other than the junior doctors who received substandard PPE kits, the nurses were deprived of any PPE kits and all of them kept on working in their scrubs. The doctor who was scared of the safety of her family members due to the lack of precaution and protection in the hospital premises stated that there were no soaps and hand sanitizers at the facility. Moreover, basic facilities like disposable cups for staff to drink water were not available and in some of the washrooms, the flashes were also not functioning properly.

Taking cognizance of the lack of safety, the junior doctor who had previously worked in the COVID facility of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital sent an email to the authorities informing them about the shortcomings of the COVID facility. "We are all risking our lives, and without any quarantine facility, we are falling back home daily, thereby risking the lives of our aged parents and society too," she said in the email sent on May 15.

However, to her great shock, two days after she had sent the mail, she allegedly received a call from one of the consulting doctors at the facility who gave her a warning that she " either joins back with the immediate effect in the condition the centre is in or send my resignation, reports the daily." Following the response from the authorities, the doctor finally resigned on May 18th as authorities failed to address her queries or appease her fear.

Comparing her previous working experience with that of the makeshift COVID facility, the doctor stated, "I really wanted to learn more but taking such a huge personal risk was not worth it." But the doctor is yet to get her remuneration for completing one shift. "I asked the consultants about this but even they do not know whom I should address this with," she said.

As per a recent media report by Scroll, supporting the claims of the junior doctor and another 26-year-old junior resident who was previously dismissed on May 23rd also narrated similar experiences and claimed that they have been given substandard PPE Kits and had to reuse N95 marks. The doctor stated that she had to work in different shifts but there was no arrangement for her to stay near the facility, she had to travel each day from South Delhi with the constant fear of exposing her parents to the infection.

While acknowledging that in their appointment letters it was mentioned that the hospital "reserves the right to disengage your service without assigning any reason or giving notice," she further added that the doctors who were abruptly disengaged from their services had to face tremendous confusion as they did not know what was going to be their next step. Queries regarding their salary and reimbursement went unanswered until the termination order was finally kept on hold. "I noticed they have looked after our complaints about the PPEs and mask," she said. "It is much better for us to work here now."