HYDERABAD:
Adike Venkatamma, a 43-year-old housekeeping staff member, who attended to more than 100
Covid-19 positive patients last year, received her first
vaccine shot on Monday.
TOI caught up with the senior
healthcare worker while she was waiting for her turn to receive the vaccine at a
hospital where she has been working from past 12 years.
“I worked in the
Covid-19 ward the entire year without any fear of contracting the virus. I did not take a single leave. There were seven beds in one ward and my job was to give sponge bath to sick patients, change their linens, restock medical supplies, among other things,” said Venkatamma.
Speaking about the difficulties while working during the pandemic, she said, “Although it was suffocating, I made sure that I never took off my PPE kit while I was in the hospital or in the Covid-19 ward. I took all necessary precautions because of which I did not contract the virus. I also never interacted with my children before taking a bath, after going home, to keep them safe.”
Although she seemed a little apprehensive about receiving the vaccine, Venkatamma said the senior doctors in the hospital motivated the entire staff by explaining in detail about the vaccine. “I am a little anxious because it is a new vaccine. The doctors at the hospital have conducted a few awareness programmes, which encouraged us to take the vaccine,” she said, before entering the vaccination room of the hospital to get her shot.
Meanwhile, Dr Parbin Moktan, medical superintendent at
Care Hospitals, where Venkatamma has been working, said, “Before our beneficiaries go for vaccination, we are screening them for any medical history and telling them if they should go for the vaccine or opt out. We have also carried out sensitisation classes for all our employees and have spoken in detail about the vaccine to educate them the right way.”