Inside the Bengaluru hospitals where doctors and nurses fight COVID-19 every day

Doctors and other medical personnel at the hospital have been on call relentlessly in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Coronavirus Coronavirus

Leaving the hospital is no small feat for the staff at Bengaluru’s Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD), where a separate building houses those who have tested positive for the coronavirus. For weeks now, staff members leaving this isolation ward at the end of the day must perform a series of detailed cleansing 'rituals' done with the aim to reduce the risk of the transmission of the coronavirus disease.

Gloves, suits, masks and other protective equipment must be removed and disposed of in the appropriate manner, adhering to the guidelines of biomedical waste removal. Hand sanitiser is to be used when leaving the isolation ward, and hands must be washed with soap and water, using the proper technique. Those who go home have to undertake another set of precautions to reduce chances of accidentally passing on an illness to a loved one at home. For the individuals continuing on for another shift, a new mask must be worn, and more people must be seen and the same process repeated again.

Despite it being almost 6 pm on a recent Tuesday evening, people continue to crowd at the hospital, lining up to consult a doctor. There are two nurses in the emergency department’s examination room, which has been turned into a makeshift screening area for those with suspected symptoms of COVID-19.

“I don’t remember the last time that we all worked like this. Usually, in the evenings we don’t get so many patients, maybe a handful, but these days everyone is busy regardless of morning or night shift,” says one of the nurses at the emergency department.

Doctors and other medical personnel at the hospital have been on call relentlessly in light of the pandemic. There have been 15 confirmed positive cases of coronavirus disease reported in Karnataka as of Thursday, 11 of which are from Bengaluru. These individuals have been admitted to the isolation ward at the hospital, to which access has been restricted.

“It’s not just those with symptoms or relevant history. So many people are now coming here directly after hearing a lot of the news about coronavirus. So there is some triage that is done first,” explains Dr Deepak, a senior consultant pulmonologist at the hospital. Those with relevant history and symptoms are sent to the coronavirus help desk, outside the isolation ward. Doctors at the help desk examine the individuals to determine what step to take next: some are sent for further workup, while others might require admission and observation.

Doctors at the hospital have also seen a significant rise in the number of people coming to the hospital out of paranoia.

“Many individuals who have no significant travel or contact history and those with mild symptoms such as a runny nose are getting scared and rushing to the hospital because of the current situation,” says Dr Nagaraja, director of RGICD.

In fact, the hospital will be starting a separate influenza clinic on Friday which will cater to individuals whose histories and symptoms are more indicative of a seasonal flu.

“This way there will be less overcrowding of individuals at the coronavirus help desk which is meant only for those who have relevant travel or contact history,” he adds. A total of 28 doctors will be rotating on shifts to staff the clinic.

The situation is similar in other hospitals across the city too. Earlier on Wednesday, the government had notified hospitals in the city to stop all non-essential services and elective procedures, asking for measures to be increased to keep the coronavirus at bay instead. Individuals who are dealing with mild illness or do not require immediate medical attention have been asked to refrain from visiting and crowding up hospitals.

“There’s definitely been a lot more work, one person is having to handle hundreds of patients in the clinic and it has been more demanding. It’s also really stressful because we also have to take care to keep ourselves safe,” states Dr Jyoti, a postgraduate from Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI), which is affiliated to Victoria Hospital.

The staff at the hospitals have been working long hours, oftentimes unsure of when they will be able to leave.

“I don’t think any of us really had an idea of what it would be like to work during a pandemic situation. No one teaches you how to handle an outbreak. A lot of learning is done while working. The clinic timings have been hectic. People come for a check-up at all hours, and we have to be very vigilant with each and every single person. You don’t know who might be positive,” she adds.

From taking a history, to examining individuals and collecting samples, doctors and medical staff have to take the utmost precaution and care so as to reduce any chance of accidentally contracting the disease.

Over 180,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported from around the world. Several governments have ordered for a lockdown of cities to reduce the chance of a person to person transmission. Doctors, nurses, and other individuals who are in the line of fire and at a higher risk of being exposed to positive individuals have been advised extreme measures to protect themselves.