Have ordered enquiry on supply of defective masks and PPE kits at KIMS; responds Sudhakar to FB post

Bengaluru: Minister for Medical Education, K Sudhakar on Saturday, July 4 said that the state government he has taken note of supply of defective masks and PPE kits to Kempegowda Institution of Medical Sciences (KIMS) doctors and ordered an enquiry into the matter.

Taking to twitter Sudhakar wrote, “Doctors are our frontline warriors battling the pandemic. Govt has taken all necessary measures to ensure the safety of our doctors. I have taken note of the supply of defective masks and PPE kits to Kempegowda Institution of Medical Sciences (KIMS) doctors and ordered an enquiry. Management will be held responsible if found guilty.”

Sudhakar’s statement came as a response to the Facebook post shared by the Karnataka Medical Association.

The Facebook post read, “This is my sister Amulya C Gowda (first cousin to be precise). She’s a Doctor and she treats COVID-19 patients at Kempegowda Institution of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Bengaluru. She’s a frontline worker and she risks her life every single day. Last week she raised an alarm about faulty PPE kits and shortage of N-95 masks. But the Administrative Medical Officer (AMO) at KIMS, shunned and chastised her for raising this issue and since then she’s been buying her own N-95 masks. On July 2, she tested positive for COVID-19 and she appealed to the Hospital authorities and raised her genuine concerns over the faulty protective gears, but she was again harassed and humiliated for raising the issue. This isn’t just about my sister, many doctors at KIMS and doctors all around the country are facing harsh backlash from the management and government officials.”

The post further read, “This is the plight of the doctors in our country. We as a system have failed the doctors. The least that we can do is arm them with fully functional protective gear. In these trying times, I do not want to blame a particular government or a politician. This is upon us and our leaders have failed the doctors.”

“It’s high time that our Netas and Babus did something about this. Clapping and showering flowers isn’t going to serve a purpose. Sooner or later, we won’t have enough doctors to treat COVID-19 patients if the authorities do not address this issue at the earliest,” the post read.