Sunday, March 22, 2020

Retd, pvt doctors urged to pitch in

TIMES NEWS NETWORK  22.03.2020

As the number of Covid-19 positive cases rose to six on Saturday, health minister C Vijayabaskar called upon retired government and private doctors to help the government screen patients at places, including airports, border districts and quarantine centres. The number of people in home quarantine and hospital isolation doubled as well.

The state government has about 20,000 doctors in three directorates – medical services, medical education and public health – who can all be deputed to handle emergencies, without compromising on other healthcare services.

“But our state has some great doctors who can be of help to us. We want them to volunteer their time during the crisis,” he said. As a practice, the state ties up with private doctors to deal with complex surgeries or advanced procedures. Some hospitals have asked retired professors to join them as honorary professors to train students and faculty members.

As per Tamil Nadu Medical Council records, there has at least 1.45 lakh doctors on the state registry. About 25,000 doctors are aged over 60. “It’s a pandemic and most doctors would be willing to help the government,” said council president Dr K Senthil.

The state has already asked private hospitals to set aside beds, keep human resources, including doctors, nurses and other paramedics, to triple the existing facilities. “We are setting aside beds, critical care facilities exclusively for this,” he said.

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