For them, work’s a pill that makes them chill

Nagpur: For Shailaja (name changed), a nurse at Government Medical College (Nagpur), it’s been over two weeks that she last saw her two year-old daughter. Shailaja is on the frontline of the war against Covid-19 and has currently been put up at a city hotel along with 120-odd health professionals, so that they do not put their families at risk and can also respond to emergency calls faster.
“My husband is also a brother at the same hospital. I see him from a distance whenever our shifts coincide and we wave to each other. My mother is taking care of my daughter and I make sure that I call her daily, to just hear her babble. She cries too and I miss her a lot,” said Shailaja, who will return after completing one month’s stay here. But she has no regrets because of the awareness of a greater role she is playing in the fight against the pandemic that’s swept the world.
Her colleague, Sonali Waasey, has also been here for the same time, but her arrival has another interesting story. “I live in Rameshwari and just a day after I left, the entire area was declared a containment zone after a positive case was found. The day I was leaving, everybody at home was saying that I must take care of myself. Now, I call them and ask them to take care,” said Waasey.
Dr Shreya Tiwari, also a Nagpurian, too, shifted to the hotel in the first week of May. “I shifted for the safety of my fellow residents and my family. In my first year, I wanted to go back home every single day from the hostel, but now it’s different. I get encouraged to carry on the work at the hospital by remembering the oath we all took and the encouraging video messages from friends and family,” said Tiwari.
Dr Mukul Deshpande, president of Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), said they are trained to keep going, regardless of how stressful the situation is. “Residency is like military training. You are exposed to high stress situations and that prepares you to handle any calamity. All my colleagues are extremely enthusiastic about serving in the current situation because this is something we believe in. It’s what we have always wanted to do,” said Dr Deshpande.
His colleague, Dr Rajat, said that regardless of the pressure and being away from family, the overarching principle of duty carries them through. “You have to put it in your mind that this is something you will be coping with. At times like these, you have to stand up for the ideals you have always believed in, which is about saving lives,” said Dr Rajat.
Dr Dharam Prasad said living away from his family is indeed something that bothers him, but that’s the call of duty he has to answer. “I’m originally from Tamil Nadu and my father is diabetic and hypertensive. So there is the issue of comorbidity. As doctors we have to care for the health of those around us and not let anything else effect that,” said Dr Prasad.
Dr Arpit said stress builds up because of work and being away from family but that’s what they signed up for. “We became doctors to treat people. That’s a promise we made to ourselves and the world. So regardless of the situation, we will keep going and serving people,” said Dr Arpit.
Dr Shrijit S feels staying away from family is probably the best thing they can do. “We come here straight from the hospital and head back during the next shift. We are at the frontline and by staying separately at a hotel, we are keeping our near and dear ones safe,” he summed up.