Raipur: Senior nurse donates gloves after staff complains of 'shortage'

RAIPUR: A senior staff nurse of the state's largest government run Ambedkar hospital donated hand gloves for her colleagues' safety on Thursday, after the nurses complained about shortage of hand gloves and triple layer masks .

Ambedkar's nursing staff Reena Pawar said that following the long pending demand of the staff, assistant nursing superintendent Dr Ashu has donated several boxes of examination gloves for the nurses in casualty ward.

Speaking to TOI, the nurses said that the Chhattisgarh Nurses Welfare Association had even written a letter to the state govt two months ago demanding adequate supply of hand gloves, sanitiser, triple layer masks and PPE kits. They allege the issue hasn't been resolved now.

The issue gained grounds recently, after a nursing staff who was on duty at the covid suspect ward at Ambedkar hospital was tested positive a few days ago. She was reportedly not wearing gloves while on duty. Though her colleagues and a senior doctor said that she by herself had taken off the gloves. "There is shortage of supply of the hand gloves and other required item by nurses in Ambedkar, hospital. Hand gloves and masks are not provided in adequate quantity. Our demand is pending since two months and after a staff nurses is tested covid positive there is sense of threat ," the nursing staff complained.

Explaining guidelines for medical safety gears, Ambedkar's superintendent Dr Vineet Jain said, "There is no deficiency of safety gears and we are procuring if there is any shortage . The N-95 masks and PPE kits are being distributed as per the guidelines. " The staff nurse who was infected was not wearing gloves during her duty and was appointed for few hours in the covid suspect ward, he added.

Health secretary Niharika Barik Singh, she said, "Centre has set a protocol that decides the type of protective gear according to the nature/level of duty. In case of direct treatment of a covid patient, a PPE kit is given. These nurses are neither handling isolation wards or covid patients since there is no positive patient yet in the hosp and if found he/she will be shifted. As of now there is sufficient protective gear -hand gloves and masks for the nurses as per their duty and will be ensured in future also."