Frontline Warriors #1, Part I
E-MAGAZINE BY INDRA
Health Care Professionals are on the frontline of the fight against Covid-19. They are working continuously and tirelessly, risking their own lives, to save the lives of others. We understand that every person has their own experience during this pandemic, especially our heroes on the frontline. Their efforts have been widely acclaimed at all levels. Indra salutes them in their fight and takes the initiative of amplifying the voice of the people on the frontline, by documenting their experience in our e-magazine, “Frontline Warriors”.
Dr. Venkata Krishna Kolli
The major issue that we first faced was that there was not enough doctor patient ratio, which is still the same. One more thing is that the management was not available to provide for emergency drugs, due to the high inflow of patients, and even beds were not available when we needed to shift critical patients to the ICU. Inadequate staff in the hospitals even hindered the process of attending to patients. PPE kits were mostly unavailable, but slowly we are trying to get an adequate supply of it. The experience I had professionally and personally was completely different. Professionally, it was more or less fine, we just had to cope up with the pressure and had to work without taking any breaks or stopping to rest. I did fall sick a few times, as I had to work continuously for long hours. Even after being tired, we had to think about our family and restricted ourselves from coming in contact with them. I stayed away from my family and socially distanced myself in the hostel room. The journey overall has been full of experiences. When the first few cases arrived at our hospital, we had a shortage of kits to test these patients and also faced a shortage of other equipment. I gave consultation over the phone in the beginning, as there was no other way out. As Doctors, during this time even though normal people don’t have symptoms, we advise everyone to take oral medication — oral antibiotics, oral multivitamins, oral supplements. Throughout the whole process, there has been an issue with cost-efficiency. Patients were being charged high fees, as hospitals had to bring in special equipment and neither patients nor Doctors or Hospitals were being able to manage the costs well. I made sure that I was always following the safety protocols and had the safety gears on. We did give our patients separate safety kits, different for mild, moderate, severe, and critical cases. As of now, we would like to suggest that CT Scan be made free for all patients, as swab tests may go wrong sometimes, and not every patient can afford a CT Scan.
Dr. Harsha Sarawgi
Everything was a major concern during this period. This was my first year of work exposure and dealing with a pandemic wasn’t easy at all. Professionally it was a tough time since my duty hours were prolonged. Surviving in the PPE kits wasn’t easy at all in these humid weather conditions. Some days we had continuous duties due to a lack of manpower. Personally, I had to move out of the home to keep my family safe so it was another challenge from cooking, washing, and doing other chores along with work. There were several moments of doubt, of course. Every time I developed the slightest fever the thought of being Covid positive scared me. We as an institution were very much prepared for it. We started taking appropriate precautions from the very beginning, as Maharashtra as we all know was one of the worst-affected states in India. For precaution, we all were provided with masks and PPE kits, face shields, and all other equipment needed. We had to always wear scrubs in the hospital thus not contaminating our clothes. The major changes were that I became more responsible and sound in these last few months. I have now started doing all the household chores as well to maintain my safety. Our hospital is now a Covid dedicated hospital with over 200 ICU beds for critical Covid patients. Cost efficiency is of course a major concern during this time. Changes to the system that I would recommend at present are that there should be more hospitals dedicated to Covid patients where they can get treatment at a minimal cost. There should be screening programs to isolate subclinical cases. There should be awareness campaigns and fines in public places for unnecessary gatherings and for not wearing masks.
Dr. Saloni Mittal
The major concern that I had to face during Covid-19 was with the availability of PPE kits. Covid has affected my professional life to a great extent. Our surgery training has been put on hold since the pandemic. Also, we are always working under fear of getting infected. Our classes and seminars are not being conducted which further affects our academics. Personally, I’m always worried about my family and their well being. My grandfather is asthmatic and quite old. Also, there has been a decline in mental health among my peers as well as my family members since the onset of the pandemic. This caused a great doubt in my mind about the safety of my family all the time. I didn’t want to infect them in any way. I ensure proper disposal of the personal protective equipment. I frequently sanitize my hands before and after examining a patient. A major change that happened when Covid cases started arriving at our hospital was that all our OTs were closed. Lectures and seminars were put on hold. OPD timing was reduced. Proper examination of the patients was not being done as my field is ENT. We were put on swab duties as as well Covid ward duties. Cost efficiency has been a major concern at all times after Covid struck. The only change that I would recommend at this stage would be with regard to the availability of PPE kits.
To download the full e-magazine, visit: www.indrawater.com/vajra
