The AIIMS doctor removed his goggles and face shield to re-intubate the patient. (Representational)
A senior resident doctor of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has been advised 14 days of quarantine after he took off his protective gear and put himself at risk to save a critical coronavirus patient while shifting him to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), a senior official said.
"Zahid Abdul Majeed, a native from Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, was not even able to break his (Ramzan) fast when he was called for shifting a COVID-19 intubated patient to the ICU in the AIIMS Trauma Centre, which has been converted as a dedicated COVID-19 hospital," Srinivas Rajkumar T, General Secretary of AIIMS Resident Doctors' Association in New Delhi, said.
The incident took place inside an ambulance around 2am on Friday.
When Mr Majeed reached the ambulance, he had difficulty in ventilating the patient and suspected "accidental extubation."
"I immediately decided to re-intubate. Owing to poor visibility through the PPE inside the ambulance, I decided to remove the goggles and face shield, and then re-intubated the patient as any delay would have led to imminent death of the patient," he said.
Mr Majeed did not think twice before taking full-blown aerosol exposure from the patient and got exposed to the highest possible viral load just to deliver his duty, Mr Rajkumar added.
"It is important that the people of this country understand that we have a common enemy in COVID-19 and we have to be united against the enemy and not fight among ourselves. Have empathy for patients, fellow workers, health care providers and every living being around you," the official said.
Zahid Abdul Majeed has been a compassionate doctor dedicated to his work, he said. "The RDA AIIMS appreciates the dedication of all residents who have stood in solidarity in the fight against the virus in spite of shortcomings and less than ideal work conditions all over the country. Senior doctors should appreciate their work and keep their morale high, take their feedback seriously and improve the working conditions," Mr Rajkumar added.