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The lack of supplies and personal protective equipment puts the health of doctors at risk. Internal medicine residents of the Ciudad Hospitalaria Dr. Enrique Tejera (Chet) of Valencia denounced that of 31 doctors, more than 20 would be infected with COVID-19 because they did not have enough disposable materials to care for patients.
The doctors indicated that the provision of supplies is carried out irregularly and incompletely and the few equipment that they have have received them from foundations and non-governmental organizations.
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The minimum suit required to attend to patients with COVID-19 or suspects is the surgical jumpsuit, disposable boots, hat, N95 mask plus a face mask with three filters, gloves, safety glasses and a mask. Like the coveralls that are used when evaluating an intubated person or with discharge; but they assured that the hospital does not guarantee these equipment. “It is being given irregularly, there are gowns, but there are no boot covers, nor do they give us surgeons’ overalls. The overalls are not being given to us either, only foundations have delivered them and at the institution we have not received N95 masks because there are none ”.
The union repudiated that in the health center the supply of piped water is deficient and they do not have hygiene items such as soap and chlorine to deep clean the contaminated areas. “There is no water, there is no soap, there is no chlorine, we do not have to wash hands. They are planning to move us to the maternity ward and there they are solving a well but at least right now there is no water ”.
Staff shortage
After more than 50% of internal medicine residents were infected, the few remaining personnel were forced to double the guards and become overworked.
But there is not only a deficit in medical personnel, but also in the area of nursing, waitresses and orderlies, who have expressed fear of attending jobs due to the conditions in which they work, in addition to receiving low salaries.
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Given this, the doctor has had to assume other functions such as passing a treatment, cleaning hospitalization areas, or mobilizing deceased patients. “I have had to carry a patient who fell into my arms because there is no orderly,” said a doctor who preferred not to identify herself for fear of being fired.
Doctors warned that in addition to COVID-19, they fear contracting any type of nosocomial disease. “If there are no waitresses, these biological waste is not collected and we can become contaminated with bacteria.”
Decentralization in PCR testing
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Internal medicine resident physicians demanded that regional authorities decentralize molecular PCR tests, in order to have an accurate diagnosis in time. They argued that the ideal is for each state to analyze the PCR tests to obtain results in a period of three to five days.
They explained that by sending them to Caracas they have to wait for the result for more than a week and in that time, the patient may get worse. “The fact that they take longer with the result generates uncertainty in the diagnosis of the patient, they take longer to deliver the medicine and increases mortality.”
They indicated that when a patient with COVID-19 symptoms arrives at the CHET emergency, doctors treat him as if he were positive.
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In the case of the more than 20 internal medicine residents infected, they mentioned that in some cases they have not received the PCR result but would be infected because they have clinical symptoms. “All the people who are in the emergency are COVID-19 until proven otherwise. Every patient who arrives with respiratory symptoms is also COVID-19 until proven otherwise.”
The coordinator of Médicos Unidos de Venezuela, Carabobo chapter, Jorge Pérez, told El Carabobeño on Monday that the definitive diagnosis is obtained with the PCR test, hence the importance of having the results on time. “Many patients die awaiting results and cannot be counted as death from COVID-19.”
The residents of the hospital center pointed out that currently the rapid diagnostic tests (PDR) have not reached the CHET, so the epidemiology service is only taking the PCR samples, but it would do so irregularly. “They don’t stand guard. It’s more work for the internal medicine team and also more exposure ”.
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No transportation or food
Reaching jobs is an increasingly complicated task as they do not have an assigned transportation service plus the difficulty of getting around after the gasoline shortage, they warned.
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According to the complaint, the delivery of bags of food is not done frequently and when one arrives, they must share it between two or three more doctors. “They are not giving out bags of food. In these days one arrived with six packages of rice, two of pasta, one of grains and two flour and we had to divide it between two or three residents ”.
They also rejected that the monthly salary of a doctor is approximately three million bolivars.
The medical personnel demanded that the authorities guarantee the necessary conditions so that health sector workers can do their jobs. “We are not refusing to work, we are on the warpath with the best of intentions, we have fallen ill, we are recovering and we are re-entering. The medical staff are also scared. “
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Dr. Pérez asked the entities and civil society to support doctors who remain active in health centers. “If the first line falls, the town will fall.”
Pérez announced that in the coming days they will hold a telethon to collect supplies that will be donated to workers in the health sector.
The population must not be incredulous
“We must stop being so incredulous, the virus does not know about easing,” warned the union.
They urged the population to comply with biosecurity measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. Frequent hand washing with soap and water, wearing the mask correctly and going out only when necessary, not attending parties or meetings. “It is a mistake to be on the street every day unnecessarily. There are people dying, that is a reality. There are young people dying ”.
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Until the afternoon of this Tuesday, August 11, Carabobo registers 406 cases of COVID-19, according to statistics from the Ministry of Health published in the homeland system.
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