Tripura: Health officials fall unconscious, revealing irregularities in preparedness

The long spell of uninterrupted duty and massive heat waves across Tripura seemed to have dealt a double whammy on the on-duty health officials. The health officials, braving all the odds and uncertainty, have been working wholeheartedly in service of the humanity but what had happened at Bisalgrah on Tuesday highlighted the plight and consistently mounting up work pressure on them.

Two ambulance drivers posted at Sephaijala district fell unconscious after donning the PPE kits during their duty. Both of them went to carry patients from their homes to the Covid treatment centre.

The incident, though, in no time spread like forest fire across the district and triggered apprehensions of both of them being infected by the Covid 19. But, as per the sources in the health department, both of them were stable and due to never-ending schedule of work and scorching heat, they fainted.

What made the authorities stun was the chain of events and the way both of the drivers collapsed to unconsciousness one after another, co-incidentally, after donning the PPE kit triggering fear among the locals.

Also read: Tripura: Ignorant and inhuman locals prevent cremation amid corona fears

Local sources said, both the ambulance drivers were on non-stop duty of Covid 19. Their duty was to shift infected patients to the treatment centers. Since, most of the Covid 19 cases was reported in Sephijala district, the workload mounted up manifold since last 24 hours.

“Today the first driver went to pick up three COVID infected patients at a time from Raghunathpara, Bisalgarh responding a call. The driver successfully picked up two of the patients and when he went to the pick up the third patient, he fell unconscious. On knowing the incident, SDMO Jyotirmay Das left for the spot with a substitute driver. But, no sooner had the substitute driver donned the PPE kit, he also fainted leaving the SDMO and his local associates astonished”, said a highly placed source in the health department in Tripura.

The SDMO, the eyewitnesses said, hurriedly undressed both the drivers from the PPE kit after sanitising, as the PPE dress on unconscious could have been dangerous for them. Later, the SDMO himself drove them to the Bisalagarh sub-divisional hospital in the hospital vehicle. A new driver went to the spot and drove them to Agartala COVID treatment centre in Tripura.

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