At height of pandemic, healthcare workers reused PPEs in Kalyana Karnataka

Frontline healthcare workers (HWCs) washed PPE kits and reused them in the next shift due to a shortage in a few government hospitals in Kalyana Karnataka region during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This shocking fact came to light during a study conducted by the department of psychology in Central University of Karnataka (CUK) on “exploring the challenges, psychological problems and mental health needs among frontline health workers of government hospitals in Kalyana Karnataka”.

Romate John, head of of the psychology department of CUK, said the study was undertaken from October-December 2020.

A total of 221 HCWs, including doctors, nurses, group ‘D’ workers, security personnel and lab technicians who worked with Covid-19 patients in the region participated in the study.

A majority of HCWs were male (58.4%), married (56.6%) and nurses (45.2%). Some of them were graduates (34.8%), he explained, adding that Azim Premji university funded the study.

The healthcare system faced a severe shortage of resources after the Covid outbreak.

This scarcity impacted the patients and HCWs. Shortage of protective gear compelled the HCWs to use the same PPE for long hours, substitute it with a cloth mask and reuse it. This increased the risk of infection and skin allergies among them.

In some cases, they had to rewash the PPE kits and reuse them in the next shift. The shortage of staff, as several of them tested positive for the virus, and the high number of patients increased the burden on the existing HCWs, the study showed.

A majority of the hospitals were found to have lacked facilities like beds, oxygen supply, basic facilities and intensive care. The unavailability of hospital infrastructure proved to be risky for the life of patients.

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