With the healthcare system at the brink of collapse under the surging second wave of COVID-19, India’s next big challenge will be the shortage of doctors and nurses to treat patients, says Cardiac surgeon Dr Devi Shetty. He was speaking at a virtual conference on interdisciplinary approaches to healthcare, which was hosted by Symbiosis International (Deemed University).
“Once the problem of oxygen is solved, the next problem over the next few weeks will be the death of patients in ICUs because there are no nurses and doctors to take care of them. This is going to happen. I have no doubt about it,” Dr Shetty said. “It can be extremely hot in May and even the fittest people find it difficult to work in COVID ICUs for four to five hours. Doctors who have been working since the first wave of the pandemic, they are mentally fatigued, suffering burnouts and many among them are getting infected.”
He highlighted the fact that in ICU, COVID patients are predominantly dependent on nurses. “We need to produce two lakh nurses and 1.5 lakh doctors who are dedicated in managing COVID for the next one year.” Dr Shetty said there are 2.20 lakh nurses who have finished their training for three-year GNM or four year BSc courses in various nursing schools and colleges across the country but are yet to take their final exams. He recommended that these trained nurses should be given the option to work in COVID ICUs for a year, following which they can get their degree certificates.
Dr Shetty said there are 1.30 lakh young doctors today sitting in the library mugging away to answer MCQs to crack the NEET entrance exam to get an elusive PG seat. “The National Medical Commission along with the National Board of Examination should conduct NEET online right away and declare the results soon. Even after that, the 1 lakh doctors who fail to make the cut should be allowed to work in COVID ICUs, following which they should be given grace marks in their entrance exams the next year.”
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He also pointed out that there are 25,000 doctors who have finished their postgraduate training but they have not appeared for the exam yet. “These doctors can be told that they can skip the exam and get their degrees provided they work in COVID ICUs for one year,” Dr Shetty suggested. “A similar option should be given to the 90,000-1 lakh doctors who have graduated from overseas universities but have not cleared a national entrance exam. Rendering services in the ICUs for a year should make them eligible to get registration certificates.”
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