Maharashtra Doctors returned from Kerala on Monday with good news

The 83-member team of doctors from Maharashtra returned from the flood-ravaged state on Kerala on Monday with good news. The team — which was tasked with containing the possible spread of epidemic following the floods — reported that the risk is under control. The team included doctors from both, Mumbai (JJ Hospital) and Pune (Sassoon Hospital).

“We had our plan of action for the next day ready by the previous night. We knew exactly which team would go to which camp and at times we had to walk through difficult pathways to reach villages and distribute medicine and administer injections in each house,” said a doctor who was in the ENT team.

In the three districts that the team concentrated on the meticulous planning of each day and going door to door proved instrumental in the attempt to control diseases as the water receded.

Leptospirosis and diarrhoea were the most common diseases the doctors dealt with. “For the first two days we had some problem communicating with the locals but we soon learned the Malayalam names for common diseases,” said Dharmesh Patel, a team member.

“Thankfully the people there are quite aware of the risk of diseases and themselves used to approach the doctors asking for injections. Doxycycline, treatment for Leptospirosis, was given not only to the locals but also to the doctors.”

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“The entire team was monitored on a regular basis for any symptoms, and precautions such as wearing face masks were taken,” said Patel.

Sebith Antony, a nursing officer from JJ Hospital, was one of the two Malayalam speaking members of the team. “On the way to Kerala, I had given a small orientation to my colleagues about common phrases in Malayalam,” said Antony.

The team, which was handpicked and sent to Kerala, was chosen on the basis of experience handling mass casualty’ said the Dean of JJ Medical College. The team consisted of professors and assistant professors, who were chosen from nine medical departments. For most team members, it was the first time serving in another state. Before they left to return many locals came up to the doctors thanking them in Malayalam.

“We have done a good job, there should be no further risk of diseases spreading unless it rains again,” said Kiren Sathe, another team member.