San Fernando doctors given cloth masks

DOCTORS at the San Fernando General Hospital are hitting back at the administration, refusing to use reusable cloth masks.

Surgical masks have been reserved for doctors treating covid19 patients.

A total of 391 cloth masks have been issued to supervisors for staff in the hospital’s emergency department (ED).

Staff refusing to accept these masks have been mandated to sign and write “Refused” on the distribution sheet.

On Thursday night Newsday saw a memo dated April 22, on the rationing of PPE, from the acting manager of the ED, Krystal Alexis Richardson. It was sent to all emergency department supervisors on Thursday.

Doctors affected by the directive are reported to have united to resist the measure.

A doctor who spoke to Newsday on Thursday night said they feel they are being led to the slaughter.

“These cloth masks don’t protect us. Studies done on surgical face masks versus cloth masks show there is a greater risk of infection from cloth masks and (they) should not be recommended for health care workers.

“It is not only covid19 patients we have to worry about, we have to worry about patients with pneumonia and very bad respiratory infections.”

He pointed out that doctors and nurses can become infected, and may infect patients on the wards.

“We also have families to go home to after our shift is over.”

The doctor said the Ministry of Health has said it has enough supplies for health care workers, but the memo from the South West Regional Health Authority suggests something different.

The doctor also said colleagues in other RHAs have not faced this problem.

He also asked, “Why are police officers being given surgical face masks, and not doctors who are seeing the patients?”

The memo states in part, “Further to the directive given by the Medical Director SCS (secondary care services), the use of PPE will be reserved for only high-risk areas in ED. The high-risk areas include triage, resuscitation and the viral pathway.”

It said point of care testing (POCT) would also be included, as aerosolization (conversion into airborne particles) can occur there when blood samples are tested.

But the memo said areas including asthma and trauma, medical records and ED staff “will not be issued surgical masks.”

It said this directive was compounded by the reduced quantity of surgical masks that the warehousing and inventory department was supplying to the ED.

As a result, the memo said: “With immediate effect…the quota of PPE to be issued daily has been reduced to two boxes of surgical masks for donning room (where staff put on PPE) and 1 ½ boxes for BIII area (part of the Accident and Emergency Department).

“Therefore, daily consumption must remain at 3 ½ boxes per day in ED. For POCT, 2 boxes of surgical masks and 1 box of N95 to be issued per week. Isolation gown to be issued to match the (number) of masks distributed. Gloves to be made available in all areas as required for clinician.

“The PPE…shall cover the staff in triage and resuscitation as well as other staff (such as medical, orderly, doctor, nurse etc) who may have to interact with an infectious/query infectious patient. Nurse in charge will review situation to make determination.

The memo reminded supervisors that “PPE is not an unlimited resource” and must “be used based on risk identified as directive states,” and accounted for.