These Covid warriors don’t share their hardships Wednesday, 19 May 2021 | AJIT PANDA | NUAPADA
These Covid warriors don’t share their hardships
There is no fixed time of their duty. They rush to people whenever there is a phone call carrying with them the antigen test kits, PPEs and all other equipments and medicines required for testing and treating people for Covid-19.
Testing, contact tracking, providing medicines, making arrangements for shifting affected persons to the Covid Care Centres and hospitals have become their regular job these days.
Their commitment and timely assistance save hundreds of lives from the clutches of coronavirus. They are the frontline Covid fighters of the Health Department like ASHA, Anganwadi Workers, health workers, nurses and Ayush doctors who have been working tirelessly for the sake of humanity without caring for their own lives.
Two such committed frontline Covid warriors Annada Dash and Aditya Joshi, who are Ayush doctors at the Khariar Sub-Divisional Hospital of Nuapada district, say they keep their phones 24 hours on, receive several calls every day from people having corona symptoms, from those who have tested positive, family members of the deceased for cremation of bodies and at the same time to carry on official instructions from higher authorities. In last one month, Dr Dash, in addition to his regular job of organising Covid testing camps at villages, has assisted 11 families for cremation of dead bodies following Covid protocol.
"If the person died in Covid hospital, we are informed by the concerned hospital staffs; and in case of death in home isolation, we are informed by the concerned Sarpanch.
It is really difficult to witness those emotional moments with family members restricted from touching the body and villagers forced to remain far away. But that's the reality of life one has to face," says Dr Dash. Dr Joshi's elder brother succumbed to the virus on April 26 in the Covid Hospital at Nuapada.
All other members of his family except him including his doctor wife Sanghamitra were admitted to the hospital for Covid treatment. Joshi instead of taking any leave was engaged in the field for Covid testing, contact tracing, distributing medicines to the affected and advising people to strictly follow Covid guidelines.
"We keep our phones on even at night because someone would complain of complications like breathing problem,” says Dr Joshi. “Very often, Aditya would rush to the village to see whether the patient needed shifting to the Covid Hospital," says Sanghamitra.
"The death of my brother has created a vacuum in our family. On the other hand my wife's mother is fighting for life in a Covid hospital. We are perturbed, but we have to work to save others' lives," says Aditya to this correspondent over phone from a village where he was busy along with other field warriors in Covid testing.
These warriors usually never share their hardships with others because as health personnel they are there to ask about the wellbeing of others. Dr Sudhir Ranjan Raut, in-charge of the Covid Hospital at Nuapada, is always a cheerful man. He never looks tired in spite of continuous hard work in the hospital.
"It gives me pleasure when you ask me about my health," he said to me when I asked him about his health condition. Dr Tanmay Hota, the in-charge of Covid Care Centre at Khariar, was affected by corona for the second time and was admitted to a hospital in Bhubaneswar.
Dr Tejraj Sahu, another doctor serving in the district Covid Hospital at Nuapada, is close to the heart of the patients.
"He is simply great. When he was asking us about our health condition, we felt as if we were talking to our loved ones," said people who were admitted to the Covid Hospital and returned after recovery.
Hundreds of such Covid warriors in Nuapada district are tirelessly working day in and day out risking their lives. Most doctors, nurses and attendants working in Covid Care Centres and hospital have already suffered from Covid, but they have returned to job immediately after getting well.
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