Gibraltar doctor hopes planning is putting off ‘tidal wave’ of coronavirus patients

  • Printer friendly view
 Thursday, April 2, 2020 - 10:42

A front line doctor in Gibraltar has told ITV News that medics are anxious but that planning there has so far paid off, stopping a “tidal wave” of coronavirus cases.

Arghya Gupta, an anaesthetics registrar in the territory, said “the feeling here…is a mix of anxiety relief and feeling reassured".

Dr Gupta went on: “We’ve been preparing here for almost two months now, implementing societal measures – changing the hospital, getting it clear of beds, expanding our ventilator capacity to almost five times what we had before.

“All these little things have been in wait for the tidal wave we see our friends in China, Italy and Spain telling us about.”

The report adds that Gibraltar shares a border with Spain which has been one of the global hot spots for infections. On Tuesday, Spain had its highest single day death toll with 849 people dying with the virus.

Dr Gupta, speaking after a night-shift on intensive care, said sharing the border “is obviously a concern that has really affected our day-to-day planning.

“I think I’m anxious for the people of Gibraltar, for the people of the world really. I’m anxious for my staff, colleagues about whether PPE will protect us or not.

“I’m concerned for myself about whether I’ll get sick,” said the ITV report.

02-04-2020 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR