PPE shortage: Docs in WB use raincoat, sunglasses

March 31, 2020 12:03

A doctor at the Siliguri hospital, WB

News agency reports of a crucial shortage of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) in West Bengal's Siliguri and criminally casual approach of the government in filling the shortfall.

Shahriar Alam, a resident doctor, Medicine Dept of North Bengal Medical College, Siliguri, says, "We met MSVP (medical superintendent cum vice principal) who told us there's no supply of PPEs but requisition has been sent.

"We were given raincoat and sunglasses. They told us to wash raincoat and reuse."

Personal protective equipment, or PPE, include masks, goggles, gloves and face shields, is a mandatory requirement for all health workers screening, testing or treating people for the virus. Both doctors and manufacturers have flagged the issue of dwindling PPE supplies.

Doctors and healthcare workers, the first line of defense to battle coronavirus are risking their lives due to a critical shortage of PPE. The procurement has been delayed in policymaking and red tape raising concerns about an imminent shortage of personal protective equipment for them.

Worldwide, governments are looking to procure more PPE, and imports will be hard to pull off. WHO has so far shipped nearly half a million sets of personal protective equipment to 47 countries but supplies are rapidly running out everywhere.

Based on WHO estimates, the world needs about 89 million medical masks and 76 million examination gloves for Covid-19 response every month.

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

EPL PIX: Manchester City thump Wolves; Arsenal down Bouremouth

IMAGES from Premier League matches played on Saturday.

Real Madrid secure LaLiga title after Girona thrash Barca

Ancelotti's second-string players proved they were up to the task as they secured three points for Real and kept them on course for the inevitable LaLiga title celebrations.

Kotak Mahindra Bank reports 25% rise in Q4 net profit

Kotak Mahindra Bank on Saturday reported a 25 per cent growth in its March quarter net profit at Rs 5,302 crore, limited by a drop in the core income due to narrow interest margins. On a standalone basis, the city-headquartered lender's...

1 IAF personnel killed, 4 injured in Poonch terror attack

The attack took place near Shashidhar in the evening when the vehicles were moving towards Sanai Top in the district's Surankote area.

IPL PIX: RCB fumble before scripting win over GT

IMAGES from the Indian Premier League match played between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru, on Saturday.