Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Wednesday issued a ‘red alert’ for medicos and medical administrators involved in coronavirus containment efforts and asked them to raise their guard while announcing that a total of 99 doctors have succumbed to Covid 19 so far.
According to IMA National COVID registry data, 1,302 doctors have contracted the disease so far including the 99, who eventually fell to the disease. 73 of the deceased doctors were above the age of 50 years, while 19 were in the age-group of 35-50 and the remaining seven were below 35 years, as per the registry data cited by PTI.
“IMA declares RED ALERT to doctors and medical administrators to raise their guard. If COVID-19 mortality has to be lessened, it has to start with doctors and hospitals,” the doctors’ body said in a statement on Wednesday.
Majority of the casualties among the doctors are among the general practitioners. The IMA appealed to the leadership of doctors to adopt all scientific best practices to reduce the spectre of death hanging over the heads of medical professionals engaged in saving the lives of hundreds of thousands infected by the disease.
This requires intense review and updating of all administrative set ups in the hospitals, including infection control protocols. Any gap in providing for the safety of doctors, nurses and staff have to be plugged, it said in the statement.
IMA also stressed on the need to put in place a feedback system from the doctors, employees and public apart from a meticulous adherence to cleaning and sanitising protocols inside treatment facilities.
“Analysis of data shows that while senior and young doctors are equally infected with COVID-19, mortality is higher among elders. While this is on expected lines, there is scope for lessening deaths across the age spectrum. Meticulous adherence to norms and discipline inside hospitals will have a salutary effect,” the statement said.
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