COVID-19 and the Role of Neurosurgeons in Nepal

BACKGROUND: Despite the panic and chaos that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has generated in over 200 countries, the role of neurosurgeons has never been more relevant and challenging. The health system in Nepal was never geared to face an onslaught of an infectious disease. METHODS: At Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital, we designated a separate complex for housing COVID-19 suspects to prevent the unaffected from getting exposed. In a few hospitals, existing neurosurgical and medical intensive care units have been converted to isolation intensive care units. A separate roster of doctors, nurses, and allied staff has been drafted to care for these patients to avoid contamination and allow effective quarantine of the staff involved in care. RESULTS: At the directive of the government, all neurosurgical centers postponed routine cases and some have closed their outpatient departments because of the lack of protective gear. All neurosurgical centers have seen drastic reductions in cases. CONCLUSIONS: In these challenging times, we neurosurgeons, who are naturally primed and trained to respond and take on challenges in difficult situations, have the ideal opportunity to shine and make a true difference during this pandemic and beyond and be “5-star doctors.”