Rise in positive cases, long absence from home add to nurses’ struggle with virus

The increased number of patients, fear of infection, worries on the home front due to their long absence and educating the patients and their attendees on the risk of infection are what these healthcare workers have to deal with on an everyday basis.

According to R Madhu*, a 27-year-old staff nurse at Madras Medical College and Hospital, the rise in patients has brought down the amount of time a healthcare worker can devote per patient, and this has led to increased stress among the latter.

"We need to talk to COVID patients and bystander to instill confidence in them. They have numerous doubts related to testing, treatment, families etc. There is a lot of paperwork on maintaining the records, adhering to the protocol and ensuring the required confidentiality. If a patient dies, we have to confirm the COVID status, answer their relatives we release the body. These protocols are new for us as well as the public," said Madhu.

Apart from these, healthcare workers need to ensure that they stay safe and away from infection. However, it is not easy to don a PPE kit for more than eight hours. "I have a family of four, including my husband, eight-year-old son and ten-year-old daughter. We clean the surface, disinfect our dresses and dispose of PPE kits before we return home," said G Kala, a sanitary worker at Omandurar Medical College and Hospital.

S Kannagi, 56, staff nurse at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital said she has got scars behind her ears because of wearing PPE kits and is sometimes unable to see clearly through the safety goggles due to profuse sweating.

"There is a serious risk of infection in the ICU. Even to use the washroom during the long shift, we have to be very careful as we have to remove the whole kit and make sure there is no chance of infection," said Adaikala Suriya J, a nursing supervisor with St Isabel's Hospital in Mylapore.

"We keep in touch with our families over the phone to keep away stress," she said.