| Strange safety protocols for COVID-19 patients before, after death | | Attendants can serve food and medicines till last breath but are not allowed to touch the body after death | | Early Times Report
Jammu, May 10: The COVID-19 related safety protocols for the family members/attendants of the Covid positive patients are beyond one’s comprehension as before death of the patient, the family members/attendants are allowed to provide food, provide medicines and all other care till the last breath but once the patient dies, the family members/attendants are not allowed even to touch the body. The attendants/family members/close ones are grappling with a question as to why only after the death of a Covid positive patient the safety of other members becomes priority of the administration and not during the treatment of the patient.
According to the testimonies of the family members, who have lost their dear ones to Covid-19 infection as well as attendants of the Covid positive patients in the hospitals, there were least safety protocols for the attendants as well as family members in the wards meant for Covid-positive patients.
“I attended my elder brother who was covid-19 positive till his last breath. I fed him, provided him medicine, adjusted his oxygen pipe, helped him to change sides, made him do exercises to increase oxygen level with only a double mask”, brother of a Covid positive patient, who died at Government Medical College and Hospital informed Early Times.
He further said that in the ward dedicated for Covid-19 positive patients, the attendants openly violate guidelines. “Attendants can be seen eating food inside the Covid-19 dedicated ward. Some attendants don’t understand what safety protocols are all about. During the first wave the attendants were also given PPE kits but this time, no such safety mechanism was put in place”, another attendant said, adding that the safety of attendants was at God’s mercy.
Another attendant said that he had been feeding his father till his last breath but once his father lost his life to Covid-19, even the family members were not allowed to touch his body. “The doctors prescribe five days medicine to all the attendants, who were present in the Covid-19 ward to attend my father and directed to take medicines for five days, while also directed us to isolate themselves for a week time along with advising that if anyone develop any type of symptom, get your test done and consult the doctor”, the attendant said, adding that it was also beyond comprehension as whether the antibiotic drugs, prescribed by the doctors should be taken without having any symptom.
“On one hand, doctors advised the patients not to take antibiotics without any ailment but we didn’t have any symptoms but doctors of GMC asked us to take medicines, including antibiotics, for five days”, the attendant said, adding that the safety protocols of the doctors were quite surprising.
The attendants further said, “If the doctors are not allowing the relatives to touch the body of Covid-positive patient, due to safety concerns as there was possibility of others catching infection then the same protocols should also be followed when the patients are in the dedicated Covid wards.
“A deep attachment is linked with the family member and seeing him/her for one last moment before burial/cremation is considered very important but that too is denied to family members/close ones. If the sacrifice of family members not to see the body is for the safety of other people then same care and precautions should be followed in the Covid dedicated wards so that a concerted fight against the strain should be fought at all levels and infection would not spread among the attendants”, the attendants said, adding that the doctors should also clarify if the doses of antibiotic could be taken without any symptoms.
A senior official of GMC pleading anonymity said that the GMC administration has been allowing only one attendant to the patient but family members are emotionally attached and it becomes very difficult to restrict their movement in the Covid-dedicated wards. On being asked about PPE kits, other safety gear not worn by attendants, the official said that PPE kits were available but due to hot weather people avoided wearing the same but added that people have been wearing gloves, double masks, etc.
On another question about prescription of antibiotics to attendants, the official said that only the concerned doctor, who prescribed the medicine could speak. “In my opinion, the doctor would have prescribed antibiotics to the attendant, who would have some symptoms but without symptoms the antibiotic cannot be prescribed by any doctor”, the official said. |
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