TIRUCHY: One day in the second week of February, Dr Raj (name changed) received the first patient admitted to the coronavirus isolation ward at the MGMGH (Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital). It was a new experience for the 26-year-old 1st year postgraduate student. He would do regular duty in the day time, followed by night duty at the isolation ward.

“In the beginning, before it was declared a pandemic, we had to do duty for more than 10 hours. Once WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic and MGMGH became a designated COVID centre, our shifts were regularised,” said Dr. Raj.

He says the initial few weeks were quite taxing as wearing PPEs for long periods of time is extremely problematic. 

Now, the doctors work in six-hour shifts at the isolation ward, with four shifts. They work for two weeks and are in quarantine for a week. Each doctor and nurse is tested for COVID after two weeks on duty. Even with six-hour shifts, functioning for such a long period with PPEs can be an ordeal.

“With regular routine use, the goggles and mask leave an impression, as it’s an airtight seal. Wearing the mask can be suffocating and the person you’re speaking to can’t hear you properly,” adds the doctor.

The hardest part about wearing a PPE is the fact that you cannot visit the washroom while wearing it. Once a PPE is taken off, it has to be discarded. “We have to control ourselves for six hours. We mostly visit the washroom before wearing the PPE and try to limit our fluid intake,” adds Raj.

It takes almost 30 minutes to wear the PPE, according to the doctor. There are clear instructions and a protocol to be followed while wearing the PPE. The handing over process from the previous shift, plus wearing the PPE takes almost one hour, making a 6-hour shift 7.5 hours, says the doctor.

“We wear our scrubs and go to the hospital. There, we wear the PPEs. After coming back to our hostel, we immediately wash the scrubs in hot water and take a head bath. We also can’t enter the mess in our theatre dress. There is a special area where food is served to those working in the isolation ward,”

The students are staying at their hostel rooms itself. Special rooms have been arranged for those working at the isolation ward and they will be moving in there soon, says Dr Raj. For now, they practice social distancing by staying inside their hostel rooms after duty, trying to remove the images of their struggling patients and replacing them with some series on Netflix.

He says they were all quite ‘chill’ in the beginning as the first positive patient was also very relaxed.

“He used to keep chatting with us, as he had nobody else to speak to. Anytime a doctor or nurse would go on rounds, he would speak to us for at least 5-10 minutes. Only as time passed, and more cases came, we felt the load. After the shifts were regularized and we were given a week off, it's manageable,” he adds.

This is also a great opportunity for these PGs to learn, as they are on the frontline, and have learnt to manage different kinds of patients. They were given special training before the isolation ward was started. But as the guidelines keep changing,  they have to adapt quickly. Their seniors keep sharing the latest developments with them.

Recently certain issues cropped up at the MGMGH when some patients were uncooperative. Dr Raj shrugs and says, “We face such issues every day. Some patients are like that.”

He does admit wanting to go home during the one week quarantine and meeting his mom. Unfortunately, all routes to his hometown in another district have been shut down.

“My parents are scared as they see news about doctors testing positive and some have died. They keep telling me to maintain distance from patients and be careful,” he said

Is he scared? "It’s part of the occupation, it’s an occupational hazard," he replies with a smile.