Nothing Will Happen, We Are Here For You! How Health Workers Are Helping Covid-19 Patients
There is so much paranoia and confusion around the world over the Covid-19 outbreak and despite the fact that the mortality rate is comparatively low, the sheer realization that one has tested positive for the infection can be tense and depressing.
Most of the times it is up to the doctors and other medical staff to keep their patients in good spirits and encourage them to remain positive while they battle COVID-19.Several patients who have recovered from COVID-19 have described how the encouraging words of the health care professionals helped them to remain calm while they were in the hospital bed.?
But what goes inside the mind of the medical professionals who are taking a considerable risk, due to the lack of proper protective gears while treating COVID-19 patients.Anas SM, a staff nurse at Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram Medical College who is now in self-isolation after completing his duty at a COVID-19 ward in the hospital gave a sneak peek into it in a Facebook post.?
"And, just like that, I have completed my second round battle with the Coronavirus duty at the isolation ICU in Thiruvananthapuram Medical College and will be in quarantine for the next 14 days," he wrote in a Facebook post.
"It is tougher to deal with those awaiting their test results than those who have already tested positive as they will be tensed and stress out," he wrote, adding that "Most of them have a lot of questions like: Will I die of this?Will my family be able to see my body one last time?What will happen to my family if I die?And much more," he wrote.?
"For them, we have the same answer, nothing will happen, we are all here for you".?
His post then takes a humorous turn, while describing what the nursing staff goes through.?
"One cannot blame the patients for freaking out seeing people standing around them in fully covered suits. Seeing this they can easily mistake us for agents of death who have come there to welcome them to the afterlife," Anas wrote.?
"To be inside a PPE suite is not a joke. The moment you put it on, you will start sweating profusely, even inside AC. After a point, the sweat even covers the face and you cannot even see what is happening around."?
"Wearing N95 mask is even worse. The skin on the ears and nose get bruised due to wearing the mask for long, and the pain when it gets drenched in sweat is beyond words," he said.Anas said it is particularly challenging for people who are not of average body size as they do not get the PPEs of their size and are forced to adjust inside smaller ones.?
Despite all the hardships, Anas said nurses like him suffer their pain in silence and put up a smile on their faces while trying to comfort their patients.? ? ? ? ?
