Nightmare At Steel City’s Death Zone

Jamshedpur: With three to four bodies being pulled out of the state’s biggest Covid hospital every day for almost a month, frontline healthcare workers on Covid duty at Tata Main Hospital (TMH) in Jamshedpur are dealing with anxiety, stress and other mental health issues
On Monday, East Singhbhum recorded 10 Covid deaths, the biggest single-day casualty figure for any of the 24 districts in Jharkhand, taking the district’s death toll to 144 – or 41% of the state casualty count of 335. Of these 144 deaths, more than 125 have taken place at TMH alone. With about 2,000 Covid patients admitted to TMH, the death rate at the hospital is about 6.5%.
Being a witness to the ravages of the pandemic has not been easy for the employees – doctors, nurses, administrative staff, hygiene workers etc., — at TMH, which has 350 doctors and 2,000-odd para-medical on Covid duty for four months. A 34-year-old post-graduate doctor at the hospital’s Covid ward, said, “With no end to the pandemic in sight, most of us now have this sense of insecurity about how long will they have to deal with this nightmare amid gruelling hours in the uncomfortable PPE kits.”
A nurse in her late 30s said apart from the threat of getting infected, the apocalyptic, dystopian atmosphere at the hospital is now taking a toll on her. “Some elderly patients lose control and scream for help, asking us to call their family members immediately as they fear they are going to die. We are the only ones who can reassure them as the paid attendant facility has been suspended and no one apart from the patients and health workers are allowed in the ward,” she said.
“I was never mentally prepared for work under such stressful conditions and in such a critical atmosphere,” another nurse posted at the ward said, admitting that many junior healthcare workers at a breaking point as far as their mental health is concerned.
The staff at the hospital do not get any respite even at home. A senior doctor said he avoids playing or getting close to his grandchildren as he fears he could be a virus carrier. “We take all safety precautions at work, but there is a constant gnawing fear that I will infect my family,” said the 52-year-old.
Another doctor said his wife prays for his safe return when he leaves home. “I often tell her that it is my duty to serve society and I just cannot run away from the frontline in the battle against the pandemic,” the 50-year-old said.
A non-medical employee at the hospital said five of his colleagues in associated departments have been admitted to the same hospital after getting infected and it is increasingly becoming difficult for him to discharge his duties with a cool head. He said everyday coming to duty at the hospital is not the same as it used to be a month ago, when there were no death cases reported from here.
A prominent city-based dentist, said Jamshedpur has just a population of just about 14 lakh and most doctors have by now treated someone they are related to or is known to them. “Doctors are also human beings and these are testing times for them, especially those who are responsible for the well-being of an infected relative, neighbour or acquaintance. Even the thought of something going wrong can create extraordinary pressure,” he said.
City-based diabetologist Vinod Kumar Sharma, who worked at TMH in the past, said his conversations with some senior doctors at the hospital suggest that they are under immense stress. “I reckon doctors at all hospitals with high Covid load are facing mental health issues,” he said.
Demanding an audit of the mental health of frontline staff, a senior doctor said it is high time the authorities start online counselling sessions for them to ease their anxiety, stress and fear. “It is an unprecedented situation for us and the condition is equally stressful,” said the 47-year-old. Mrityunjay Singh, secretary of Indian Medical Association (IMA)’s Jamshedpur chapter, agreed, “The government must explore ways to help the doctors and put them at ease,” he said.
Not just the doctors, even the residents are facing difficulties in dealing with the magnitude of the outbreak. For many like Kakoli Mukherjee, a teacher from Musaboni locality, a visit to TMH means that one has to come across a body. Mukherjee, who visited her ailing neighbour at the hospital on Tuesday, saw a body wrapped in a PPE kit being taken to an ambulance as the relatives wailed. “The cries are still ringing in my ears… I am disturbed and nervous,” she said.
Octogenarian Samaresh Ray, a retired Tata Steel employee said, the sound of hooters on ambulances zooming across the city day and night is stressful. “Never in my life have I seen so many ambulances on the move. These days, I start imagining the condition of the patient inside whenever I see one. The thoughts invariably end up with the most disturbing climaxes,” he said.
Shukla Mahanty, principal of Jamshedpur Women's College and former vice-chancellor of Kolhan University, said: “The news of the deaths in Jamshedpur is disturbing and the residents are in panic. Even I go to college and come back home in my car without stopping anywhere.” She also expressed concern for the medical fraternity and urged the government to do something concrete for their well-being.
Veteran educationist and former principal of Jamshedpur Public School Lalitha Sareen said it is the responsibility of the people of Jamshedpur to adhere to protocols and not venture out needlessly to ensure that the load on the healthcare workers does not increase.
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TMH, with 1,000 Covid beds, is the biggest such hospital in the state and has patients from across Kolhan division, which has East Singhbhum, Seraikela Kharsawan, and West Singhbhum districts. The hospital management recently told TOI that the high number of deaths here were due to the number of patients with comorbidities being admitted at the last moment. Tata Main Hospital general manager Rajan Chaudhury had hinted at a recent media briefing that the company was interested in taking over the hospital after Medica decided to give it up. During a telephonic media interaction, Choudhry, said that the hospital is providing the best services and best treatment available in the entire country. “No fund has been provided by any of the governments or institutions. The entire initiative has been taken by Tata Steel. Moreover, during the course of treatment, TMH’s own 250 warriors have fallen victim to coronavirus and they have been quarantined.