Bihar has the lowest number of free hospital beds per inhabitant in India and spends the least on care of all Indian states. It is therefore not surprising that in this state most doctors have died of the corona virus so far: 23. In Kerala there was only one.
In the DMCH teaching hospital in Darbhanga, a city of 300,000 inhabitants in the north of Bihar, no doctors have died so far. But at least 10 percent of healthcare workers have been infected with the corona virus. This is impossible to prevent because of the contagiousness, says an official, who also became ill.
Neglected hospital
According to a doctor-in-training, there are also insufficient resources to take precautions. He does not want to be mentioned by name because doctors and nurses employed by government hospitals are not allowed to speak to the media. “We work 24 hours a day and have no time for quarantine. So after we have had a corona service, we have to go straight to another department. We don’t wear protective suits in those other departments. We are not tested in between, except if we have symptoms. “
For him, the pandemic is an extra challenge in the neglected hospital, which is characterized by dilapidated buildings, flooded roads and smelly waste heaps. “It lacks the most basic facilities. For example, there are not enough medicines available. Sometimes we cannot even offer patients a bed.”
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