COVID-19: UP DGME Writes to Medical Colleges, Warns about Inferior Quality PPE Kits

Lucknow: While Uttar Pradesh witnesses a surge in the number of people testing positive for the novel coronavirus, the Uttar Pradesh Director General of Medical Education has written a letter to medical colleges warning them against the use of sub-standard personal protective equipment (PPE).

The PPE kits in question were provided to hospitals and medical colleges by the Uttar Pradesh Medical Supplies and Drugs Corporation.

The letter, a copy of which has been accessed by NewsClick, mentions that the PPEs that have been supplied are of inferior quality and the length of the overall gowns were not in line with set parameters.

“The gowns are not as per the set standards,” Dr. K.K. Gupta, DGME of Uttar Pradesh said over the phone, adding that the gowns were falling apart due to the stitching giving way. “Doctors have been advised to not use them if they have a problem wearing it because we have received a lot of complaints about the PPEs,” he said. Dr. Gupta also said that the medical college can buy kits from local guidelines as per Union Government guidelines which would result in doctors getting better kits. 

Soon after the letter came about, PPE kits were immediately changed in medical colleges at Agra, Meerut and Noida, areas which have seen a massive surge of COVID-19 positive cases.

UPSDC denies inferior quality:

A senior officer at the Uttar Pradesh Medical Supplies and Drug Corporation who wishes to stay anonymous said that the PPE kits have been made as per set standards and are ISO certified.

“The kits that have been provided to them have been cleared by technical experts. We have not found any issues with the size, stitching or even the quality. There is no problem at all,” the officer said.

The officer further added that while “the kits are not technically made for COVID-19, they are the same kits which were made for treating patients who had contracted Swine Flu. The kit comes with face and shoe covers and many medical colleges in the state have been using it,” he added.

Responding to the letter, he said “UPSCD directors are looking into the matter and it is our top priority to provide doctors with the best quality kits. The inferior quality allegation is a matter of audit and it might be probed later,” the officer said.

It is to be noted that the UPSDC’s PPE kits are being supplied to the King George Medical University in Lucknow, Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow, SGPGI Lucknow, UP College of Medical Sciences in Saifai, GIIMC in Noida, SCCH PGIT in Noida, Kanpur Medical college, Agra Medical college, Prayagraj medical college and state-run medical colleges in Gorakhpur, Kannauj, Jalaun, Badaun, Saharanpur and Azamgarh.

‘Pehle mil jaaye ye badi baat hogi’ (Even getting them would be a big deal)

A junior resident doctor at the SMC medical college in Agra alleged that doctors in Agra deployed in the Corona ward were not getting PPE kits despite their availability with the hospital.

In a telephonic conversation, the doctor bemoaned the “red tapism” in the medical college and accused seniors of being careless with facilities which should be provided to doctors dealing with the dreaded virus.

“We do not feel scared treating patients since it is our duty to save their lives. We only ask that the government or senior authorities pay heed to our problems. We have been asking for PPE kits but they have not been made available to us yet. We are using kits which we have been disinfecting over and over again. We are even ready to buy it out of our own pocket,” he said.

On being asked about the inferior quality of kits, he said: “We can adjust, but they need to be available first. Pehle mil jaaye yahi badi baat hogi aur jaisi bhi ho hum kaam chalane ke taiyaar hai (Even getting them would be a big deal; we are ready to use whatever is provided to us),” the doctor said.

Another doctor posted in the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Lucknow agreed that there were issues with the kits and that the government should immediately replace them with better quality PPEs.

“The job of the PPE kits is to protect doctors who have in turn been deployed to protect lives of active COVID-19 patients. How will they when his/her life is itself in danger. From a shortage of N95 masks to inferior quality PPEs, there are many issues which doctors are dealing with,” she said.

Amit Mohan Prasad, Uttar Pradesh’s Principal Secretary for Health said the kits in question were older ones ordered in the month of November. He refused to comment further.

Meanwhile, several opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress have demanded a high-level investigation into the matter of inferior quality PPEs supplied in Uttar Pradesh’s medical colleges.

Dr Rajendra Jaiswal, a senior private medical practitioner in Lucknow said that the issue of inferior quality products being provided to the doctors is very concerning.

“The safety of doctors lies in the hands of the government and if the government is providing them with such material then it is condemnable. There is already a dearth of doctors in the country and with instances, these doctors may migrate towards the private sector. The government should act on it without delay,” he said.

Meanwhile, self-help groups in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district have been directed to produce PPE kits to tide over shortage in the country due to the pandemic. The kits will be manufactured and sent to the state government for inspection. Directives for production have been issued by the state health department. The kits would be made of laminated polypropylene and while PPE kits cost around Rs 1,000 commercially, these kits will cost only Rs 550 per piece.

Aside from the state government, even the Indian Army has expressed interest in procuring the kits. Two thousand kits have been ordered by the Indian Army’s base hospital in Lucknow, while the 41 Infantry Brigade has ordered 40 kits. The 39 SSB has ordered 30 kits as well. 

The author is an independent journalist.