Stress and lack of sleep coupled with 24x7 duty have left the doctors of Covid-19 task force at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) with no option but to think of stepping down, members of the task force said on Monday.
Coordinator of the task force, Dr. Prabhat Kumar has addressed a letter to RIMS' acting director Dr. Manju Gari requesting her to relieve the members of Covid task force from their responsibilities. “We tried our best to manage all aspects in the management of Covid patients. It gave a lot of mental and physical stress and strain to us,” the letter, a copy of which is in possession of The Pioneer, read.
The 10-member task force has been treating all Covid patients at RIMS for four months without any break. These doctors have to arrange for beds soon after the test reports arrive every night, and also stay alert 24x7 to address exigencies.
Covid-19 task force at RIMS was constituted to manage the Covid ward of the premiere state-run hospital back in March. The idea behind constituting this team was to have a group of expert doctors who could not only treat patients but also ensure safety standards in Covid wards. The ward has around 100 beds.
“We have written a letter to the director seeking relief from this job. We are under a lot of stress,” said Dr. Kumar, who has been heading the Covid task force since the day it was constituted.
A senior member of the task force, requesting anonymity said, “The count of Covid patients is increasing every day, and we do not have enough beds. Managing so many patients withlimited resources, and also facing criticism for our work is taking a toll on our mental health.”
Another member of the task force said that they were not getting appreciation for their efforts despite risking their own health for serving Covid patients. “The task force is blamed for every lapse, but never appreciated for the good work,” she said.
Covid cases across Jharkhand, and Ranchi in particular, have been on the rise since June. As per government data, there were at least 1624 active Covid cases in Ranchi by the time this report was filed. Besides treating Covid patients in Ranchi, RIMS has also been treating patients from other districts in Jharkhand. The Covid tally in Jharkhand was 12882 on Monday afternoon.