Exactly a year ago, we lived in a state of anxiety and fear. Lucky were those who didn’t have to make pleas for hospital beds, oxygen, plasma for their near and dear ones. Social media was plastered with bereavement notes, and we all were left praying for survival. All our discussions centered around the manic second wave which was claiming lives of both old and young alike! But there were some warriors who cannot be thanked enough - our doctors and our nurses.
Expecting to hear a somber account of the second wave, I called Ms Joice Inbarani, chief nursing office, BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital on the occasion of International Nurses Day to reflect upon the time but I was pleasantly surprised to hear a different tone. “We have seen the worst and all I can say is that we are not afraid of any further waves. We nurses have seen the worst and it has strengthened us all to the point where we truly feel like warriors who can handle anything that comes their way.”
Ms Joyce further shares, “We nurses have worked up to 12 hours wearing PPE kits which made it very difficult for us to breathe. Nurses were fainting too. We would avoid toilet breaks. It was most difficult for nurses who got their menstrual cycles and had to cut down on their washroom breaks due to the PPE and work demands. Yet, the whole staff didn’t give up!” The hospital was counseling the nurses and supporting them in every way possible.
Ms Kavitha, staff nurse (emergency and trauma care), BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital, Lakadikapool adds, “Honestly, there was a lot of anxiety and fear in the beginning among us and our families too. We stayed in touch with our families through video calls, phone calls during the pandemic as we didnt want to infect them. But our hospital really supported us. They made necessary arrangements for us so we could stay safe and so could our families.”
Remembering some tough situations, Ms Kavitha shares how her heart broke every time a critical patient was sent back because of lack of ICU beds in the hospital. “We all felt very helpless but then we knew we had to focus on helping those with us recover and go back to their families healthily.” “We were working overtime due to the number of COVID cases coming to the hospital. But everytime a patient was discharged, having been declared COVID free and recovered from it, it gave us a lot of happiness.”
Ms Joyce shares an account of a person from Chennai who was very critical and was admitted to ICU for more than 45 days. “When he recovered and got a new life, he came back to the hospital during an event for COVID warriors. He identified me with my voice because he never saw me due to the PPE kit. His family thanked me and even asked me what they could do for me. They were so grateful that it felt like my biggest gift!”
Real superheroes wear scrubs and their contribution to containing the coronavirus cannot be forgotten!
