Ajo Jose is a Nursing Offiicer in the emergency department of Dr RML Hospital in New Delhi. He has been a part of several humanitarian and health missions in the past, including the Nepal earthquake in 2015 and Kerala floods in 2018. “I got a call
from the Health Ministry informing that I was chosen to be a part of the medical team to be sent to the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China to evacuate Indian nationals. There was an option to refuse but I chose to be a part of the mission,”
shared Ajo.
“Close to 370 people were evacuated from Wuhan in the month of February. We were fully covered in personal protective equipment (PPEs) and all passengers were wearing masks. Food was already kept in the seat pockets and there was no interaction of the passengers with the cabin crew. The passengers were quiet, but their eyes were filled with gratitude. I felt a deep sense of relief when I saw that. That one moment made every hardship worthwhile,” shared Ajo.
Throughout this mission, the medical team had to wear PPE, change it every time they went outside the aircraft and then dispose of it safely in the area reserved for bio-medical waste. “It was exhausting and then there was the risk of getting infected. But the entire team was positive, and our strong resolve kept us going,” said Ajo.
Ajo Jose is one of the millions of health workers who are at the forefront of the Covid-19 response. When he is not on duty, he is involved in nursing education as a faculty member for several national and international workshops.
Asmol Chacko, a Staff Nurse at Kottayam Medical College, Kerala never let the fear overpower her, even when taking care of patients critically ill with COVID-19. She underwent training for using PPE and hand hygiene from the infection prevention and control team. Asmol is helping in maintaining a staff roster, and periodic evaluation and monitoring of services in COVID-19 designated areas.
“There are challenges while providing care. We are in PPEs throughout the duty period and It is difficult to communicate with our team members. It is frustrating at times, but we must continue our work,” said Asmol.
“It is extremely challenging to deal with elderly patients due to comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and other age-related issues. Providing psychosocial support is extremely important to ease their worries and make them feel comfortable. I also make sure that the patients are physically active. It helps them recover well,” she shared.
Asmol had to be in quarantine for two weeks after she took care of an elderly couple, aged 88 and 90, who were tested COVID-19 positive. “When I was in quarantine, I followed a daily self-care routine, read books, watched movies, and kept myself relaxed to reduce anxiety. Now, I am back to work and feel very good. I want to share that we should be willing to trade our freedom for the greater good of the public, wash our hands frequently and thoroughly, and stay home.” That’s the message the 30-year old young nurse has to share with everyone to overcome this challenge.
Mrs Pratima Naik works in the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital in Mumbai as a Nursing Matron. She has been at the forefront of COVID-19 response in Mumbai, Maharashtra, which is one of the worst-affected cities. As a nursing administrator at a Municipal Corporation Greater Mumbai 2200-bedded hospital, Pratima trained nursing teams to deal with COVID-19 patients and ensured that protocols were followed in the receiving area, triage area, and isolation wards, etc.
“The nurses were mentally prepared to serve those patients and we provided in-house training on infection prevention and control. They were anxious and there was fear of the virus, so we educated them about the virus and provided counselling,” shared Pratima.
“It’s a challenging time for us. We were given orders that a ward had to be converted into a COVID-19 care center in a matter of just one day. Implementing structural changes overnight was difficult. It required removal of equipment, arranging PPEs, drugs, etc. but we were able to manage it all with the support of hospital administration team,” she informed.
“It’s been a month that I am staying away from my family along with my other colleagues here at a vacant ward given to nurses serving the COVID-19 patients. One of my team members tested positive. It takes a toll on you mentally. But we must stay strong and keep going. Online counselling really helped me ease my anxiety,” said Pratima.
“This pandemic has stretched the health services but we must not lose our focus from other diseases to protect the lives of our children and pregnant women.” This is the inspiring message from Juli Phukan and Rimpi Bordoloi, Auxiliary Nursing Midwives who have been providing antenatal care to pregnant women and administering vaccines to children in a riverine village of Assam.
Archana Rana, Senior Nursing Officer, AIIMS New Delhi, volunteered to work in a COVID-19 designated trauma centre, much to the dismay of her family, but they finally gave in to her indomitable spirit. “I follow all the cautions – hand-hygiene, physical distancing and respiratory etiquettes. I chose to be a ‘Corona Warrior’ to fight COVID-19. Mental strength is very important during the period. It’s been a month that I am away from my family and unable to take care of my kids. But duty is my priority in this time of adversity,” she shared.
Soukathh Ali V, a Nursing Officer working in COVID-19 ICU at AIIMS, New Delhi shares that it is all about teamwork: “Together we can achieve a lot and then work is joy. We are in PPEs throughout and it is very frustrating. Patients cannot recognize us. We need to maintain eye contact with them and reassure them of their safety. The other day while I was on duty, an 84-year old woman of my grandmother’s age asked for food in the middle of the night. So, I arranged a packet of biscuits for her. She was so happy. Such moments keep us going.”
“I was part of the medical team sent to Wuhan for screening and evacuation of Indian citizens. I feel proud that I was chosen for this important mission. It was difficult to convince my parents as they are not from the medical field. But I was determined to go. The most difficult part of the mission was being in PPEs for more than seven hours. It felt suffocating but safety cannot be compromised. The mission was successful. No one from the crew members or the passengers were tested positive. We were even felicitated by the Health Minister for undertaking this mission. Now I back to providing services in ICU. Preparedness, prevention through PPEs, positive attitude and team work is what made the Wuhan mission successful,” shared Manu Joseph from Wayanad, Kerala working as a Nursing Officer at Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi.
According to the data released by the Union Health Ministry (as on 11 May 2020), the recovery rate of COVID-19 in India is 31.15%. The hard work and selfless service provided by the health workers, including nurses and midwives has no doubt contributed to this impressive recovery rate. Nurses are important in managing a health crisis because they are a vital link between the patient and the rest of the health care team. Their contribution to dealing with this pandemic is unparalleled.
Acknowledging the vital role of the health workforce in combating COVID-19 Dr Henk Bekedam, WHO Representative to India said, “The novel coronavirus has reminded us of the critical importance of the health workers, including nurses and midwives. They are the backbone of every health system. Working long-hours, dealing with exhaustion and trauma and putting themselves at risk of infection to care for people in need, the health workers have continued to battle the virus. Every adversity is an opportunity to improve and what COVID-19 has brought into sharp focus is the need for every nation to invest in nurses and midwives as part of their commitment to achieve universal health coverage.”