Healthcare Workers Clean Ambulances with Laundry Bleach, Reuse Disposable Equipment

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As the new coronavirus outbreak spreads in Turkey, precautions for the healthcare personnel have not been sufficient, according to occupational organizations and physicians who point out the lack of medical equipment and the ever-increasing workload.

The Health and Social Service Laborers' Union (SES) said in a statement on Monday (March 16) that there was not an emergency action plan for hospitals, personnel was not trained about how to serve during an epidemic, and there was a shortage of equipment such as masks, gloves and hand sanitizers. 

Healthcare workers are "under serious threat"

SES Co-Chair Gönül Erden told bianet that their statement and demands are still up to date and that health workers at hospitals are "under serious threat."

"We cannot say that measures suitable to this extraordinary situation have been taken regarding the health of healthcare workers. Hospitals are not prepared. Because there has been no serious action plan for this, and healthcare workers are now working entirely at risk.

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"Leaves of our healthcare worker colleagues who are chronically ill, breastfeeding, above 60 years of age or disabled have been canceled despite a circular letter by the Presidency and now these colleagues of ours are working at the field under more risk

"We were already working in the field under heavy working conditions with a serious workload. Today, with this epidemic, we are experiencing a much deeper shortage of people, we have much more workload.

"There were no briefings about Covid-19 at hospitals. Guides must be prepared considering scientific suggestions and distributed to employees.

"In almost all hospitals, healthcare workers do not have appropriate protective equipment. Let alone quality equipment, even the simplest surgical gloves and surgical mask, are given in numbers.

"The information about how many cases there are in which hospitals should not be kept from healthcare workers. This information should be shared with healthcare workers so that they can protect themselves more carefully. It is necessary to transfer this information in a timely and accurate manner."

"We clean and reuse disposable glasses"

C.A., an employee at 112 Ambulance Service Head Physician's Office in the capital Ankara, said that they don't have enough equipment to protect themselves.

"A patient, a first degree relative of whom tested positive for Covid-19, called us and wanted us to take him for a test. When we went to take him, we saw him outside. He had neither a mask nor anything. He was on the street as if he was walking around in daily life.

"So, there are deficiencies in this respect and the people need to be informed more. Because we still observe that there is a segment of people that did not understand the disease.

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"After we left the patient, we were told to go to the supplements technical department to acquire supplies. We were given normal shirts and standard masks. The 112 [emergency service] does not have protective glasses. We were told that there was an order to clean glasses with laundry bleach, wash them with water and then dry them.

"Normally, every single one of them, including the glasses, are disposable. That equipment has a usage time of an hour or minutes.

"When we went to the supplements technical department, we asked about what we need to do for cleaning [the ambulance]. We normally have a beam cleaner device for these viral infections, bacterial cases. We requested the use of that for the cleaning of the vehicle. They said that it doesn't work and we should clean [the vehicle] with laundry bleach, ventilate the car and carry on.

"We did this, but we don't know how effective it will be or how we can ensure that it is not transmitted to the next patient.

"In terms of patient health, I am not experienced or trained in this regard. this should have a program, order, and a separate working space should be created. "

Seven healthcare workers are under quarantine

High risk of infection in emergency services

A doctor who works at the emergency service of Samatya Training and Research Hospital in İstanbul said that the service was still crowded all day and the patients there did not take precautions despite that.

The doctor added that seven employees who work at the emergency service have been placed under quarantine.

"If a person comes [to the hospital] with the suspicion [of coronavirus], s/he will definitely get the virus there even if s/he has not previously been infected with the corona epidemic," the doctor said. (TP/VK)