Gujarat: Covid fails to deter these god’s angels

SURAT/VADODARA/ AHMEDABAD: For the past three decades, this ‘Florence Nightingale’ of Surat has been a pillar of support to the caregivers of New Civil Hospital. But when it came to the battle with the pandemic, Vasanthi Nair, head nurse at NCH, showed her steely grit behind the starched uniform. Despite contacting Covid twice in the past one year, this 53-year-old returned to duty on Monday, two days before International Nurses Day.
Annually, May 12 is celebrated as International Nurses Day to honour the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, considered to be the founder of modern nursing.
Nair, a patient of thyroid and rheumatoid arthritis, has been on medication for many years now. She has, however, refused to take a break till the coronavirus wave is controlled. Her daughter too suffered from Covid twice.
Similarly, October last year was almost written off as the last chapter in Vadodarabased SSG Hospital’s head nurse, Kalpana Patel’s diary of life. Her family had given up all hopes of her survival from the debilitating Covid attack. But the gutsy woman recovered in just 18 days.
The 58-year-old not only bounced back from her lifethreatening ordeal, but has returned to Covid duty.
At Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, 403 nurses joined duty after getting infected. “But more than that, we have three senior nurses who had retired during the pandemic, but they chose to continue working with us and guiding the junior nurses,” said Dr J P Modi, medical superintendent of Civil Hospital.
Vidula Mehta retired as assistant nursing superintendent on April 30 after 34 years of service. “How can I leave my staff that is tirelessly working in the pandemic? I'll continue to contribute till I can,” she said. Anjana Christian, 60, is now working with the mucormycosis patients. "We all have seen the worst of the pandemic, and whatever we can do in our capacity is lifesaving for hundreds of patients," she said.