French dentists stage naked protest over PPE shortage
Dentists in France have expressed their anger at being asked to go back to work by staging a naked protest.
French dentists have been advised to start opening their practices again, despite a shortage of PPE (personal protective equipment). In protest, many have stripped down and shared photographs on social media to appeal for urgent changes to be made.
Dental professionals are concerned that the nature of their jobs and close proximity to patients puts them at high risk of contracting COVID-19, and many are up in arms over a lack of PPE. Without the relevant protection, dentists are facing exposure to infection. Some people who have the virus don’t display any symptoms, so even telling patients who do have symptoms to stay away will put dentists who don’t have robust masks, gloves and visors at risk.
The dentists participating in the protest used utensils and treatment room furniture to cover their modesty, sharing images on social media to draw attention to the message and encourage ministers to take action.
The scenes in France follow similar protests in Germany, where doctors also posed naked to highlight a lack of protection in hospitals and clinical settings.
Autour du monde, les dentistes sont tenus de voir les urgences mais sont en bas des listes de priorités pour l’EPI, mettant en danger leur santé et ceux de leurs patients.
En France, le hashtag #Dentisteapoil est le cri de ralliement de ces professionnels de la santé. pic.twitter.com/91IcSwuxUA
— Luong Phuc Nguyen (@luongphucnguyen) April 25, 2020
A shortage of PPE is a global issue, with health departments and procurement experts struggling to deal with unprecedented demand for gowns, masks, visors and gloves. Since the Coronavirus outbreak in China at the beginning of the year, countries have been ordering vast quantities of supplies, and this has contributed to shortages and logistical and distribution difficulties when trying to reach the frontline.
The French Prime Minister revealed details about easing the current lockdown measures in the coming weeks during a speech on Tuesday 28th April.
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