A worrying number of doctors, hospital staff, and healthcare workers - the first line of defence against the coronavirus - are among tens of thousands testing positive for COVID-19 every day, as the third wave threatens to overwhelm the country's medical infrastructure.
Over the past few days around 150 medical professionals each from Delhi and Bihar have tested positive, as have nearly 300 from Bengal and an unspecified number from Bengaluru.
In Mumbai 157 doctors at the King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital have tested positive, with another 80 falling ill at Sion Hospital and nearly as many at others in the city. Across Maharashtra over 260 have tested positive so far, the Association of Resident Doctors has said.
And with Covid cases continuing to spike as they are, the prospect of a shortage of qualified medical professionals available to treat patients brings back worrying memories of the second wave, when the government had to turn to medical students to offset the human resource gap.
"There will be more cases, more hospitalisations... Covid is rising exponentially in the city - faster than second wave. Earlier we used to see two to three admissions a day. Now we see nearly 20 daily," Dr Suresh Kumar, Director of the national capital's LNJP Hospital, told NDTV.
Dr Seher Qureshi, the Medical Superintendent at Max Hospital in Delhi's Saket, said an entire floor had been dedicated for Covid cases, and that daily admissions had increased from three to 10.
20 healthcare workers from this hospital have tested positive.
AdvertisementIn Mumbai the situation is as dire, but doctors are hopeful patients will spend less time admitted, particularly if fully vaccinated, and that infected colleagues will recover quickly to re-join the battle.
"Whoever is getting admitted they are improving in three to five days... they are testing negative, and we are discharging them. Resident doctors are our backbone... recently 42 turned positive but the good thing is those who were admitted earlier are fit to resume their duties," Dr Akash Khobragade, the Medical Superintendent at St George's Hospital, told NDTV.
AdvertisementDr Bhushan Wankhede, the Chief Resident Medical Officer from the same hospital, tested positive for Covid on December 30. He was back at work yesterday, after testing negative on Tuesday.
He underlined the point that doctors are at risk due to frequent contact with Covid-positive patients.
AdvertisementBengaluru, which reported over 3,600 cases yesterday - a 76 per cent increase in 24 hours - was overwhelmed with cases last year. This time medical professionals are pleading with people to follow safety rules - wear face masks, sanitise hands and surfaces, and maintain social distance.
"The numbers are increasing and that is going to be a huge issue. It has doubled in a matter of two days... the 'emergency' wing is always busy," Dr Shylesh, Consultant (Emergency Medicine) at the city's Aster CMI Hospital told NDTV.
The Indian Medical Association waved a red flag early last month when it urged the centre to announce booster vaccine doses for all healthcare workers.
Three weeks later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did, but these will not be rolled out for another four days - on January 10 - and a few more days will pass before the third dose takes full effect.
And it isn't just Covid that is keeping doctors away - a stand-off with the centre over selection criteria for NEET, for admission to medical courses - has contributed to the problem.
"Our work has tripled... we are feeling burdened already (and) a whole batch of doctors hasn't come yet due to NEET-PG issues," a Delhi hospital worker, who also pointed out the physical toll of wearing full-body PPE kits for longer and longer periods, told NDTV.
With India firmly in the grip of a third wave of infections - over 90,000 were reported in 24-hour period this morning - it is critical to ensure there are enough doctors to treat Covid patients.
The Omicron variant may lead to less severe symptoms, but the increased transmissibility makes it, perhaps, more dangerous than the Delta variant - simply because it can overwhelm healthcare.
