Nurses suffering from hypertension and diabetes should not be posted on duty at isolation ward to attend coronavirus infected patients, said acting president of Bangladesh Nurses Association Ismat Ara Parveen. She said, “Amid the alarming spread of coronavirus in the country, isolation units have been opened at majority of the specialised hospitals being kept ready for the treatment of coronavirus patients. In this situation, safety to all health workers must be ensured at first, or else, the struggle won’t bring any benefit.”
Parveen raised the demand during an interview with popular healthcare journal MediVoice on Sunday. In reply to a query, she said, “Along with nurses suffering from hypertension and diabetics, young and pregnant ones should also be spared from duty at isolation units for coronavirus patients.”
Observing that majority of the nurses are exposed of being infected as they are yet to get their personal protective equipments (PPEs), the nurse leader informed that many of them are still using the previously-used PPEs. “Many nurses are potentially exposed to coronavirus disease as they have to be closed while attending the patient. If nurses themselves are not protected, their service will be severely hampered,” she asserted.
Parveen alleged that many hospitals told their nurses to arrange the PPEs by themselves. “The demand is unrealistic,” she insisted. If the government can’t arrange quality PPEs for the nurses within the shortest possible time then nurses won’t be able to serve the patients despite their will, warned Parveen, who teaches at Bangladesh College of Nursing in Dhaka.
“Provide us with PPEs immediately or else situations will worsen further,” said Perveen urging people from all walks of life to step forward along with the government to save the humanity.