Save the saviour..!
Was just having a candid discussion with my sister, who is a doctor, and this candid chat became an eye opener. So yes, this is about COVID-19. Lets not go into the numbers here – we all know basic arithmetic and the cases are increasing rapidly. We are in middle of lockdown, but people have a lot of things to say on that too, for as well as against it. Some politicising it, some plain critics and some victims. Now that we talk about the victims here, are victims only those who are tested positive for this horrific untreatable disease and thus quarantined in some facility or hospital? Or shall we include those too whose samples have been sent for testing, report awaited and who also have been quarantined in some facility? While not belittling their struggle, lets talk about a third type of victim here. We take these people for granted. We hold them accountable for their Hippocratic oath and want them to steer us through these challenging times. These are doctors, nurses, lab technicians and other para medic staff who are working day and night so that we can sleep healthy. So lets bring their struggles ahead –
1. The PPE kit which all healthcare workers treating COVID-19 positive or suspected cases have to wear is nothing but a type of plastic, covering from head to toe. Hands covered in gloves, mouth with mask and face with a shield. Wearing this, they have to be seated in the isolated ward where there is no air conditioning, ventilation or even a simple fan since air spreads the virus. Given the soaring temperatures, imagine wearing plastic from head to toe sitting in a heated room, sweating all over and not being able to even itch?
2. During the span of a health care worker’s shift in that ward (6 / 8 / 12 hrs), he / she cannot use the loo or cannot eat or drink. If he must, then he will have to re-attire himself in that dreadful but life-saving clothing again. So, when you don’t drink water, you don’t urinate. Basic science, isn’t it?
3. The samples are collected with tubes having a cotton blob on one end (I am not getting into the technical names here). One tube is inserted inside nostrils of the suspect while another till throat to take specimen of secretions. While doing so, suspects can sneeze or vomit on the health care worker. If that happens, PPE kit needs to be immediately changed and worker has to sanitize. While we discuss about sanitizing our hands every 20 minutes, do we realize how prone these workers are to this dreadful infection?
4. Till now, had been listening it in news but today I heard a live encounter where suspects are purposefully spitting on the technician while he is taking their sample in a quarantine facility, urinating outside the urinals and what not. Are we trying to murder the saviour here?
5. And oh did we talk about their pain of living away from their own family, as precautionary measure against unprecedented spread of this havoc?
The list is endless, I am sure there are many other points which I did not bring here either due to paucity of time or due to lack of my awareness. But can we please stop politicising this thing, stop taking this lightly by just closing our eyes from this imminent danger?
#breakthechain #stayhomestaysafe #covid19 #saveourdoctors