The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the world who the real superheroes are. They do not have any magical powers to save the world and often look like you and me. They are the frontline warriors in the battle against COVID-19 - the healthcare workers.?
When it comes to healthcare workers it is often the doctors who always get the attention. But the reality is that the backbone of every hospital around the world are the paramedic staff.?
When a critically ill patient recovers, their family and loved ones will credit it to the doctors who treated them and will fail to acknowledge the nurses who attended them day and night.?
Even during the COVID-19 pandemic when there was an acute shortage of PPEs, doctors were given the first preference, and nurses came only after that.?The disproportionately high number of nurses who have contracted COVID-19 compared to doctors is ample proof of this disparity.?
"Today, we are very grateful to all those nurses who are standing like a rock and protecting us from this pandemic. Without them managing this disease would have been very difficult. These nurses risk their lives while treating the patients, hence, they must follow various safety protocols and guidelines like IPC precautions, no reuse of single-use devices and implementation of latest technologies like auto-disable syringes, needleless IV connection devices and follow a safe injection, specimen collection and surface disinfection procedures to contain the spread of the virus,¡± Dr. Sunil Rao, Group Medical Director, Sahyadri Hospitals, Pune, said.? ?
Recently after the dozens of nurses in Mumbai's Wockhardt Hospital tested positive for COVID-19, Indiatimes spoke to several nurses working in various parts of the country who had all but the same story to tell.?
In India, the majority of the nurses come from one state - Kerala and have made a name for themselves not just in India, but around the world as some of the best trained and caring healthcare professionals.?
On the occasion of International Nurses Day, Indiatimes spoke to nurses working in different hospitals in Delhi NCR. One of them said she is happy that due to the COVID-19 outbreak their service and struggles are getting some recognition.?
"I think, till now for a lot of them we did not even exist. For many patients that I have come across, hospitals meant doctors. We are not even recognized as health workers. The worst cases are some patients and their bystanders even look at as their servants. I have had patients who asked me to make get tea coffee, etc for them. I am sure they would not ask the same to a doctor," a nurse who works in a reputed private hospital in Delhi said on the condition of anonymity.?
Despite the low wages and the hardships they face every day, she said she is happy with the career choice that she made. Like most of her friends and colleagues she also dreams about working in the Middle East or settling in some European nation one day.
Another nurse, who identified herself only by her first name, Anu expressed hope that the COVID-19 will open the eyes of the hospital management to their plight.?
"See, if you compare the risk we face due to COVID-19 we should be paid at least 3-4 times the salary that we are getting now. I have an educational loan to pay and support my family financially from what I earn here. After that, I hardly have anything left for myself. So we are living in a 1BHK that is shared by four of us," Anu said.?
While they hope to get paid better, the reality is that several hospitals have asked their staff to take a paycut and in other cases have not paid full salary for those who had to be quarantined after coming into contact with COVID-19 patients.