‘Got beds, equipment but no docs for Covid-19 patients’: Bengaluru doctor’s video goes viral

“I have beds, I have oxygen beds, I have ventilators, I have all the equipment. I have another 30 beds like this but I don’t have doctors working here,” Dr Mateen is seen saying in the video shot at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital, as specified by him.

“I speak from the ICU of HBS Hospital. It’s been a virtual bloodbath. I came in the morning at like 7:30 in the morning and its 12’o’clock midnight right now. Patients are continuously calling me now ‘cause their fathers are breathless, their brothers are breathless and they cannot find a room in Bengaluru and at this time if you see there is one Mr Shiva and me. There is no other doctor willing to work in this hospital, “Dr Mateen says in the video.

When contacted, Mohammed Ummer, a coordinator at the hospital, told indianexpress.com that healthcare professionals are responding to Dr Mateen’s appeal.

“A couple of our intensivists had developed symptoms, so they were off duty and in home isolation. As the number of patients admitted to our charitable hospital began increasing, the other two doctors found it difficult to handle the cases on Saturday,” Ummer said.

Meanwhile, at least six doctors have contacted the hospital volunteering their services as on Sunday evening, while the requirement is for 48 doctors (16 each of work in each shift) daily.

Dr Mateen, in the video, said 30 more beds were available in the hospital as on Saturday. “I find doctors on WhatsApp. I need 6 hours of your time in a day. Please this is my fervent request. This is the time to show we care. Sometimes the army is on the frontline, sometimes the fire people are on the frontline, sometimes the police is on the frontline. Right now, you and I, my fellow doctors, are on the frontline, let us show that we care for humanity,” he said in his video appeal.

Mehdi Kaleen, a volunteer at Mercy Mission, an NGO associated with the hospital, said the hospital would prefer specialist doctors (intensivists) with experience, but was willing to train juniors. “However, the team at HBS Hospital is ready to train MBBS graduates who will be duty doctors. The hospital is also trying to scale up other facilities to work as a full-fledged dedicated Covid Care Centre,” he said.

Meanwhile, Karnataka reported a record 1,925 fresh Covid-19 cases on Sunday with over 64 per cent in Bengaluru alone (1,235 cases).

Further, the state reported 37 deaths, of which 16 were from Bengaluru.

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