SHILLONG: Civil Hospital Shillong, after weathering the initial fear of attending to the COVID patients, has managed to shrug off all worries and put up arduous effort of caring for the patients who are lodged in the Cancer wing of the hospital.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, Joint Director (Surgeon Superintendent) Dr SS Nongbri said that the Civil Hospital had enough PPE, masks, hand sanitisers, and for dumping the medical waste, we follow the Bio-Medical waste protocol, and they are taken care of by the Municipal workers”.
He was all praise for the staff of the hospital, who have to cope with the additional workload since the pandemic.
“Our staff have to do extra work and are to be more assiduous with regard to dealing with COVID cases unlike normal cases, which we are used to, but COVID is new. After COVID, we found that the workload and the emergency have started increasing. People have been panicking, they want to get things fast and get tested fast,” he said.
He said that before COVID cases, it was normal duty for all of them in Civil Hospital, but the current situation ensures that they remain on their toes. The doctors and the staff, after seven days work, are made to go for 14-day quarantine.
“Staff have to be very careful not to get infected. But we have to thank God as till now, no one has been tested positive from hospital. The staff are overworked currently. We were used to the normal duty but with COVID we have to be careful,” Nongbri said.
The doctor said though there is shortage of staff, the hospital is trying to adjust with the challenging situation. The Health department has deployed AYUSH staff and dental surgeon, to help the hospital.
There is division of work, as there are those allotted for COVID duty while there are those who go for normal.
He said that there is nothing serious about the health conditions of the infected patients and till date, the hospital has not made use of any ventilator.
“COVID-positive patients are kept in the Cancer wing. There is nothing serious about them till now, as most of them are asymptomatic. They have slight fever, cough and normal flu. Till now, we do not have cases that seriously need physical care. We have not had to use the ventilator yet”, he said.
Questioned about the footfall of patients to the hospital, Nongbri said that initially fear had gripped the non-COVID patients, but currently all types of patients are making their way to the hospital OPD. Besides, there are more than 200 indoor patients.
Asked, whether the staff faced any discrimination, he said that people are getting used to it, but only a few section are hesitant to approach.
Nursing Superintendent of Civil Hospital, JS Balieh said that before the lockdown took place, they were much confused.
Under her supervision, there are 270 nurses and 267 Grade IV staff (ward boys and girls, sweepers, sanitary workers et al).
“In the initial days, we were faced with difficulties as there was shortage of manpower. On one side, I have to check about COVID-19 management and on the other, I have to manage the normal cases,” she said.
She said that there were initial days of fear since COVID-19 is a new disease. There were training programmes for nurses and ward boys and girls as they were insecure.
“When duties were allotted to them, they resist from carrying them out due to fear of being infected, which also affected the Grade IV staff, but 99 per cent of the nurses were fine. We managed somehow as that time there was no positive case,” she said.
But when the positive cases started, the time schedule also changed. There were three shifts prior to the lockdown, but after the lockdown, it was reduced to two shifts for saving fuel.
So those who were scheduled for the day, worked for the whole day and those for the night, would be there for the entire night.
“At that time, it (the situation) badly affected them. But still none of them complained. Instead most of the staff cooperated. They do not resist any more like they did during the initial period of COVID,” he said.
There is duty of 7 days and then rest for 14 days. Nurses are in hotels as per arrangement of the state. Before going home, they are tested.
Asked about discrimination, Balieh said, “At that time, there was a problem for the first batch, but not now”.
Initially, there were fewer patients as there was no means of transportation. They were told to visit PHCs and CHCs, especially those who were suffering from mild diseases.
“There is no visiting hours and we keep one attendant per patient. The attendant also has a pass. Now we have started the operation and OPD patients are also present,” she said.
Balieh, however, said that these days, there were no reports of patients suffering from fever, cough or loose motion.
“Ever year starting from the month of April till June, the patients would suffer from fever, cough, and loose motion, but due to the lockdown, people are not getting to eat junk food or get themselves exposed. We are also glad that there are no complications to the oncology patients,” she said.
Asked about the attitude of patients, Balieh said that initially the patients were non-cooperative, but lately they have become gentler.
Meanwhile, speaking to a head nurse of Bethany Hospital, she said that currently the situation is good and calm.
Asked about the workload, the nurse said that during the time when the first COVID-19 case emerged, the workload was quite heavy.
She said that nurses are told to be careful and ready.
“There is no COVID patient, yet we are prepared,” she said.