KATHMANDU: Surgeon and health workers have warned that there is likely to be a shortage of skilled health manpower for the critical treatment of COVID-19 if the number of the infected person increases dramatically.

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease and among them, 5 to 10 percent of infected persons need critical treatment. But, there is a lack of ICU and Ventilators and skilled manpower to cope with it, health workers said.

According to Dr. Hem Raj Paneru, General Secretary of Nepalese Society of Critical Care Medicine, if the infected numbers rise to the massive number, the manpower we have in the country could not serve to all, BBC reported.

There is a shortage of manpower including ICU Physician and Nurse who can work perfectly on ICU and Ventilators, he added.

There is a need for special training to the Nurse who worked in the Critical care, Kabita Sitaula, General Secretary at Critical Care Nurses Association of Nepal said. The Association is providing special training to the Nurses.

According to the government data, there are 1443 skilled health workers for ICU and Ventilators service. The government should give more attention to the training of skilled management, Dr. Paneru added.

He also suggested that for the time being the health workers working in Operation and Post Operation ward can be mobilized.