Nagaland: Dimapur COVID-19 Hospital Nurses Demand Proper PPE Kits, Threaten Discontinuation of Work

Dimapur, April 15, 2020:

With coronavirus cases on the rise across the country, Nurses of COVID-19 Hospital in Dimapur, Nagaland said that they would discontinue work if the Hospital authorities do not provide them with proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

In a letter addressed to the Medical Superintendent of COVID-19 Hospital, Dimapur, the Nurses have stated their difficulty in performing their duties due to lack of proper medical equipment.

"...we will not assist or attend any suspected COVID-19 cases without proper PPE," they wrote to the Superintendent. This letter has come up at a time when the lack of medical facilities in the State amid coronavirus terror is doing the rounds.

They have also sought the assistance of Pathologists as they are finding it difficult to cover the cases on their own.

"The Lab. Tech. should be detailed for assisting the Pathologist since the Nurses alone are finding difficult to cover in all the fields of duties. Therefore, we have resolved not to attend any suspected cases relating to COVID-19 without proper PPE and in assisting the Pathologist in sample collection," they wrote.

It may be mentioned here that Nagaland is yet to have its own testing centre for the contagion that is wreaking havoc across the globe.

After the first case of the new coronavirus or COVID-19 was detected in a man from Dimapur, Nagaland, the demand for a testing centre and better medical facilities has gained momentum.

It needs mention here that the COVID-19 positive man was showing symptoms for several days and was admitted to Damapur’s Zion hospital on April 8, he had to wait till April 12 to get his report due to lack of a proper testing lab.

Earlier, the Dimapur Ao Youth Foundation had also come forward and said, “the lack of testing facilities and pre-screening kits in Nagaland has been glaringly exposed by the infected individual being given two false negatives only to be later given a positive on being tested outside.”

The organization further urged the Government to maintain full transparency in its efforts to tackle the virus. The Naga Council, yet another influential body, had said that the “absence of testing laboratory for COVID-19 in the state is one of the biggest challenges for the entire people of the state.” The Council has also demanded a testing laboratory in Dimapur, for the convenience of the medical staff as well as the public.

Meanwhile, the country is preparing to observe its second phase lockdown till May 3. With a death toll soaring to 377 in the country on Wednesday, the Government is now looking at imposing strict lockdown rules in a bid to contain its further spread.

India's current coronavirus cases now stand at 11,439. With 1,076 fresh cases, India has now entered a stricter phase to curb the virus. The death toll related to novel coronavirus climbed to 377 in India on Wednesday.

The numbers include 9,756 active cases while 1,306 patients have either been discharged or cured, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said. The total number of cases includes 76 foreign nationals.

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