A few days ago, after a hectic and long day at a health camp in Puzhal, Deepak Krishna, emergency medicine registrar at Sundaram Medical Foundation, fell sick.
“I woke up the next day with body pain and low-grade fever. We had seen 500-600 patients the previous day. But I took a Paracetamol and was back at work the next day,” he said. Over the last few weeks, as the rain poured in, doctors, nurses, ambulance staff and other healthcare professionals have worked overtime. Many of them, exhausted, have fallen sick, with upper respiratory infections, fever and diarrhoea, doctors say.
At Apollo Hospitals, two doctors have been admitted with fever, diarrhoea and vomiting, said director of medical services, N. Sathyabhama. “But, we have a strict policy of hand hygiene in place and tell all our staff to drink boiled water, eat properly and protect their feet while wading through water to prevent infections,” she said. “Many of the nurses have had to work double or triple shifts. Some of them have had fever as a result,” said R. Mariumthu of the Tamil Nadu Government Contract Nurses Welfare Association. Those running the 108 ambulance service are suffering from foot sores. “I have had a really bad case of foot sores. I’ve been applying turmeric, hoping my feet will heal soon,” said one driver.
“If healthcare professionals fall sick, they are more likely to transmit their infections to the most vulnerable and so, they should get vaccinated properly,” said Subramanian Swaminathan, infectious diseases specialist
