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Health workers reusing disposable masks


Health workers reusing disposable masks

Until today, a total of 500 plus health staff have been infected with COVID-19 all over the country. It is so unfortunate to see them getting infected in the absence of proper and protective health equipment. They are the ones who day and night are serving the people putting their lives at risk and are now being blamed for transmitting the virus to the other people. In a few recent cases, some of them including even the doctors were abused by the local community asking them to leave their locality fearing that their areas would be infected by them (health staff).


They are compelled to reuse the disposable face mask for over a week as they have not been provided by their respective health institutions be it state run hospitals, health service centres, and private hospitals citing out of stock. 


Can we imagine what will happen to the infected persons if these health workers denied working in their respective hospitals fearing they would be infected with Covid-19 due to unavailability of protective health equipment? On the other hand, the government is saying that it has spent so far over 12 billions rupees on Covid-19 treatment. 

I have shared a news report from today’s (Aug.26/20) The Kathmandu Post which might of interest to you. 

Health workers say they reuse disposable masks as hospitals don’t provide enough


Dipendra Pandey, a doctor at the National Trauma Center in Kathmandu, has been using the same disposable mask for over a week.

His hospital does not give him masks every day while he attends to patients.
“I know that disposable masks cannot be reused or used even after washing, but I have no choice,” Pandey told the Post. “I had asked the hospital administration yesterday for masks, but they say they do not have any in stock.”

Like at the Trauma Center, health workers serving in most hospitals—private, community and state-run—have said they are compelled to reuse disposable masks, face shields and other protective gear as they have not been provided sufficiently.


https://tkpo.st/3aXDCla

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