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Doctors sound alarm over shortages of supplies and equipment

March 20, 2020 1:38pm

More than 60 doctors have joined forces to launch a petition calling on the government to mount “a war-like effort” to assist frontline healthcare workers fighting COVID-19, sounding the alarm on already critical shortages of supplies and equipment.

The coalition of doctors led by Dr Melissa Yuan-Innes started the petition a day ago.

The petition states, “Our front line health care workers are already running out of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as N95 masks, surgical masks, gloves, and gowns. We also need access to hoods, face shields, goggles, and other protective equipment. There is a critical shortage of COVID-19 test kits, ventilators, hand sanitizer, and medications that might treat COVID-19 patients. This is unacceptably dangerous for health care workers and, in turn, the public.”

The petition urges the government to explore several tactics including repurposing factories and skilled workers to produce dwindling supplies, and releasing any stockpiled personal protective equipment from the SARS epidemic — even if it has expired.

The petition also stresses the importance of every individual to self-isolate.

“I’m a doctor and I don’t want to leave my child an orphan. Please let us treat the population with the right equipment. No one would ask a firefighter to work without the right equipment. Please help us help the population and fight this,” said Maya Atallah, Montreal, a petition signer.

“I am a nurse working at a downtown hospital and I am being pressured not to use a mask. Counting masks. The crisis is at the beginning and we are here already. I passed by the HIV crisis, SARS and never felt this unsafe. We had protective gear. Now we are asked to ration masks. I signed to serve the public but never thought I would jeopardize my health in the process,” said Maria susana Carrusca, Toronto, another petition signer.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Russ says

    March 20, 2020 at 4:22 pm

    Gagandeep you are a news reporter, fact check and qualify your post first. It should be mentioned, though a Canadian shortage is bad, but the shortage is im the East. In BC we curtailed emecrive surgeries and supply is good and there is actually 25% more hospital beds now than there was pre Coronavirus outbreak. If your going to report please report the whole story.

  2. Terri Lukyn says

    March 20, 2020 at 9:52 pm

    Thanks Gagan. I tried explaining this to a younger person. We are voluntarily closing our hands on therapies and adhering to social distancing in order to SLOW the spread so that our front line hospital staff – Doctors and Nurses can be adequately prepared and have all equipment needed to deal with the sick who are expected in their care. This appears to be our best defence now. Choosing to socially isolate to spread out the cases needing hospitalization. Not stopping it. It’s here already. With 14 days incubation period in an otherwise healthy person, the word exponential is scary. These professionals in the hospitals are preparing for a wave of sick people who need ventilators, special supplies and special care. Pretending this can’t happen is not helping. Watch the W5 program on Dr WHO. It’s very informative and we need to do our part to SLOW the curve. No doctor should have to look at 14 people requiring a ventilator and have to choose which 4 people get one.

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