Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : June 30, 2020 5:42 PM IST
Dr Ruchi Garg, who is on a COVID-19 emergency duty, shares how her life has changed after the pandemic.
Life has changed a lot for every one of us since the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent lockdown and restrictions that followed. As we are forced to remain inside the house to contain the spread of the virus, many complain of feeling frustrated and bored as they are not able to go out and do their usual activities. Out of boredom and irritation, sometimes we even think of caring nothing and just move back to our normal life, disregarding all the precautions and restrictions that are necessary to protect ourselves from the viral infection. Next time if such thoughts come to your mind, take a pose and think of those people who are at the frontline in the fight against the novel coronavirus especially doctors, nurses, and all others in the medical profession. We are lucky that we can stay at home and do our best to protect ourselves from the deadly virus. The doctors, nurses, and medical staff have no choice but to put their own life at risk to save us. On the eve the National Doctors' Day, we want to give our readers a glimpse of what a day looks like in the life of a doctor on COVID-19 duty during this pandemic.
The National Doctors' Day is celebrated on July 1 every year in India to acknowledge the services of doctors and their huge contribution to medical advancement. The day is also observed to remember and honour the legendary physician Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy (Dr. B C Roy), who was born on July 1, 1882 and died on the same date in 1962. Dr. B C Roy was also the second Chief Minister of West Bengal and was honoured with the country's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna on February 4, 1961. The Doctors' Day celebration reminds us of the value of doctors in our lives and our responsibility to show our appreciation for them for providing us with selfless service and health care.
On this Doctors' Day, let's give a big salute to the doctors who are at the frontline taking care of the COVID-19 patients. Despite the immense physical and emotional challenges, they continue to fight for us. Want to know what a day in the life of a doctor on COVID-19 duty looks like?
In a telephonic interview with TheHealthSite.com, Dr. Ruchi Garg, Consultant and HOD of the Department of Emergency Medicine, Yashoda Hospital, Kaushambi, shares about the changes in her life post the pandemic and the challenges she faces while on COVID-19 duty. Here's the excerpt:
If I have to say about my life as a doctor before and after the pandemic, many things have changed. Earlier I used to go to the hospital, attend the patients, come back home, and continue with my normal routine. But now things have changed a lot. Today doctors have to take a hell lot of precautions at home as well as in the hospital.
I have become dependent on many things that I wasn't doing before such as taking multivitamins daily. I make sure that I do some sort of exercise at home like yoga or walking in the morning to keep my lung strong and functioning to be able to fight the COVID-19 virus. I have added more fruits and vegetables to my diet and cut down on junk food. This is because as doctors, we also have to take care of our health to protect ourselves from the infection.
When we reach the hospital, we can't just enter the emergency room like we used to do. We have to change our clothes, put on the personal protective equipment (PPE) gear, wear the mask, and get into the suit, which is too cumbersome. You have to wear at least two masks, including eye protectors and face shields. These are now part of a doctor's life and it has become a new normal these days.
We come in contact with both COVID and non- COVID patients and we have the responsibility for both of them. Therefore, we try out best to make sure that we don't transfer the infection to the other person. Plus, we need to take proper precautions and maintain distancing to save ourselves from the virus. We are all trying to adjust to this new normal, as this is the need of the hour.
It's very difficult to deal with both emotional and physical pressure. The patients are more and the staff is less. Emotionally, we are feeling somewhat weak inside because we have to protect ourselves as well. Plus the mask is very suffocating, the hypoxic condition which is being created, it actually decreases your work capacity. If you continue to wear the PPE gear for almost 8 hours, it becomes very difficult to work.
Things are becoming worse for everybody. Unexpected things are happening, somebody who was normal a few days back is now tested positive today. Some of our doctors are infected; some of our nurses are infected even after taking so many precautions. After seeing all this, sometimes we feel like we should withdraw from our job. But that cannot happen and that is not the solution. We have to take out some positive things from all the things going on. And I don't really focus on so many negative things and that allows me to keep going.
Sometimes when we don't have beds, family members will request that their patients should be taken in. Some patients might behave arrogantly and start shouting at you. But we have to deal with it because everybody has a different nature and we also understand that aggression comes out because they are worried about their health. Plus COVID-19 infection could be mentally torturing for anybody. So, we have to accept all these facts and deal with the situation calmly. Having said so, patients are also adjusting a lot; they also understand that if we are keeping a distance from them or not attending them like in case of other illnesses, it's for the safety of everyone. Things have changed from the patient's side as well as our side, and it's the new normal now.
There is of course always a danger that I might get infected with the virus. After coming home, there's again the new normal. I cannot touch anything before cleaning myself. I have to first take a shower, do gargling, and all the hygiene that is required. Being a mother of two kids, I cannot actually keep a distance from them, and that's the sad part. This makes us different from male counterparts, who can easily manage to keep a distance from their family members. But for a mother, it is very difficult to do so. My kids will be waiting holding sanitizers in their hands when I come out after taking a shower. Such is the situation that it becomes almost impossible to maintain a distance from them. But at the same time, I'm worried that I can give them the infection anytime. But I took a decision to live apart from my parents as the risk of infection is higher for older adults over 60 years. So, now I'm at least somewhat relaxed that they are safe away from me.
Luckily, my children - one 6-year-old boy and other a 3-year-old girl - are very much aware of the new disease. They are also adapting very well to this new situation and my new routine. They know that I have to go to the hospital regularly, I cannot take leave, I cannot just come and hug them like I used to do. They will open the door and immediately run away from me because they know that they cannot come near to me before I take a bath and sterilize myself.
I would like to request the government to extend the lockdown as the number of patients has increased a lot and not everybody can effort the COVID care which is being given in private hospitals. In the case of government hospitals, there are not enough beds, and facilities available are not that good. Imposing a lockdown again may help reduce the infection rate.
The other thing is that being a doctor, I believe that we shouldn't be appreciated in a manner that we are just doing our duty. We want respect for our work and small things like demand regarding the bad behavior of patients towards doctors should be taken on a priority basis by the government. Some of the doctors and staff are not getting a proper salary, their salaries have been deducted. We are working as frontline workers, but rather than giving us incentives, our salaries are being deducted. That is demoralizing sometimes.
The doctors are limited and the number of patients is increasing rapidly. If we are infected, the number of doctors will come down and the other colleagues have to face the deficiency as well as the patients. So, as doctors, we have to take precautions, we have to take care of our health, do exercise, eat good food to boost immunity, and maintain proper distancing from the patients. We have to treat them but at the safe distance and if close contact is required, we have to take proper precautions. We shouldn't be reluctant to use the protective gear, it's for our protection. Look on the positive side. Some doctors have succumbed to the disease, but there are also many who have come out of it. So, instead of looking at the negative side, focus on the positive area and that will help you keep going.
