It has to be mentioned that a meeting was held on April 3 to discuss the concern followed by an intimation letter submitted to Additional Municipal Commissioner of BMC, Suresh Kakani on April 5, where the resident doctors of Nair Hospital stated that they would boycott routine work and stable COVID patients' ward work on Tuesday evening and also intimated to go on mass leave as a symbolic protest against the decision of the Bombay Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Chief to convert the facility into a Covid-19 hospital fully.
The doctor stated that unless their concerns were addressed, they would boycott their routine work on Tuesday at 4 pm. The association mentioned in the letter, " If the administration fails to acknowledge and address above demands, then we, MARD residents, will be firmly reluctant to continue only covid work and appeal for mass leave as our symbolic protest against Total Covidization of Nair Hospital".
The series of demands by the resident doctors included;
1.Non- covid patients with chronic illness requiring elective surgeries, palliative surgeries, daycare chemotherapy, radiotherapy, regular treatment, frequent follow-ups & patients requiring valuable super speciality services like maintenance hemodialysis in chronic kidney diseases, emergency services for cardiovascular & neurological issues should not remain health deprived & should be attained on high priority basis equally as covid patients.
2. This collective injustice is once again happening with patients of regular follow-up in Nair Hospital & to its residents who sacrificed their branch works while providing dedicated covid services. So, We appeal to authorities to manage infrastructure & internal installations for the equitable distribution of covid & non-covid beds in all four BMC hospitals ( Nair, KEM, Sion & Cooper ), without any further delay.
3. Non-teaching institutes like peripheral BMC hospitals should be well equipped & functional as Dedicated Covid Hospitals.
4. Recruit more number of BAMS, BHMS doctors, nursing staff, paramedics & other technical staff to share the covid load in an ongoing pandemic situation.
The association further stated," During the pandemic, we all pre-clinical, para-clinical, clinical, surgical & super speciality residents pursuing post-graduate training program were shunted for dedicated covid works in Nair for entire last year without the opportunity to serve non-covid patients of their branches as Government portrayed Nair as Dedicated Covid Hospital, patients couldn't avail Non-covid Emergency Services furthermore because of administration's strict denial. So, we have faced irreparable academic loss. The administration is planning to continue covid services in its full strength in the second COVID wave also. So this academic injustice is being reported 2™ time from Nair residents as rotating us again in Dedicated Covid services will surely take a toll on our academics, skills & will violate our Right To Education."
The secretary of Nair hospitals' Resident Doctors' Association (MARD), Dr Chetan Adrat told Medical Dialogues that they have submitted a letter to Suresh Kahani, AMC of BMC Mumbai, and demanded equitable distribution of COVID beds in all 4 BMC hospitals. The doctor stated that the trainee doctors are not getting the practical knowledge about Non-COVID diseases as they are only getting the chance to serve COVID patients but the authorities can not deny their right to education by converting Nair hospital into a COVID facility once again. Dr. Chetan stated, "We are not denying to do covid work. We will definitely do COVID work. It's our responsibility but along with it we also want to treat non-covid patients. We are stoping only stable patients' COVID ward and routine work. COVID ICU and covid, non-COVID emergency services will not be hampered."
Commenting on the issue Dr Chetan added, " BMC is saying that it is going to convert 1100 bedded Nair hospital into a total COVID Dedicated facility yesterday. We are not against treating the COVID patients but why only Nair Hospital? All the hospitals have supported the idea of equal distribution of COVID beds then why are authorities only converting Nair Hospital. Many patients come for chemotherapy, dialysis we are deferring their cases for months and months so are they not eligible to get equal attention and treatment in the facility?"
The doctor further mentioned, " Equal distribution of all COVID beds in all the medical colleges and hospitals of Mumbai is our main demand. Moreover, there is also a scarcity of manpower and the administration should address that issue first before increasing the number of COVID beds. They are just increasing beds, along with patients' health they are compromising our health also. So they should increase manpower first to handle the burden. We have given an intimation letter and decided to go on mass leave from 4 pm if our concerns are not addressed."
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