The SKIMS administration is not providing proper facilities to its faculty and staff members who have been infected by the COVID19, some doctors alleged.
According to the medicos at the SKIMS, over 20 doctors including three HODs and many resident and junior medics, paramedics and technical staff have tested positive for coronavirus.
The medicos alleged that the SKIMS administration was not providing proper facilities to these infected doctors and paramedics. “If this is the situation with these doctors and staff members, the plight of others could only be imagined,” a senior doctor said.
“The faculty members and the employees have time and again urged the director to reserve a place for the hospital staff. However, the authorities were unfazed,” said a faculty member who had got infected.
“The non-availability of a dedicated place for them has created resentment among the hospital staff who have strongly expressed it before the hospital administration,” sources in the hospital said?
“After a lot of persuasion, the director SKIMS has now designated a forlorn place in the erstwhile Animal House for the staff,” a medico said.
He said: “There are no areas of donning and doffing for staff. Poor quality masks, gowns that are worn out easily further expose the staff to the risk of the virus.”
According to sources, one HOD was admitted in a desolate area of the SKIMS where there were no facilities even for oxygen and today another HOD struggled for some space even there.
Director SKIMS, Dr. A. G Ahanger didn’t respond to the repeated phone calls from this correspondent.
While responding to the concerns raised by faculty and staff members, Medical Superintendent, Dr Farooq Jan said: “All I can say is that we are providing best facilities to all our patients, be it our faculty, staff or common people.”
A senior official in the SKIMS administration said: “We have converted a lab at the first floor in the hospital premises into thirty five bedded ward, which has been reserved for faculty and employees, where staff members of SKIMS with mild or moderate symptoms are kept and those with severe symptoms are shifted to infectious disease ward for treatment.”
He said that it was “highly shameful” that in this time some staff members are grumpy about the facilities and other things when their focus should have been on healthcare of the patients.