Doctor warns of being overwhelmed with increase in COVID-19 cases

The health workers of the country may eventually tire up and the country could face a shortage of health workers as the number of COVID-19 patients in the Maldives keeps on increasing every day, IGMH Clinical Advisory Management Team member and Internal Care doctor, Dr. Moosa Muraad has warned.

The doctor, speaking in a press conference last night, said that a large number of healthcare workers were working to treat virus patients in the Maldives.

"As cases keep on increasing every day. a large number of people are being admitted to facilities. When they are admitted, it is a huge challenge for workers at these facilities to treat such a large number of patients." said Dr. Muraad.

COVID-19 patients could also not be consulted like any other normal flu patient would be in a hospital, said Dr. Muraad. 

"Doctors, nurses, and health care workers are required to complete certain procedures when attending such patients. They work by donning PPEs. They also find it difficult to treat patients with the gear." said Dr. Muraad. 

This leaves them tired and Dr. Muraad said that a large number of patients meant that healthcare workers would have to take on extremely stressful and tiresome duty schedules. 

As a result, the number of designated workers for COVID-19 may have to be reduced. 

"I would also like to note, healthcare workers also test positive for the virus in large numbers. We have so far identified 121 [ositive individuals as front liners," said Dr. Muraad.

Dr. Muraad warned that human resources were something that cannot be developed or increased within a month or two and even if the country had the equipment to treat the virus, the lack of human resources would still pose an enormous challenge. 

 Doctors could also not be designated just for COVID-19 as there were other health m=issues as well, said Dr. Muraad. He added that health workers were being distributed into two sectors and that an increase in caseload could overwhelm the sector very much.