By Dr. Deepu Banerjee,
What a year it was and nonetheless is!
On Doctor’s Day last year, we had been currently into the 4th month of pandemic. It was a time in our profession we had been not ready for. Initially there was worry from the expertise of some western nations specially Italy, exactly where there was higher casualty amongst overall health care pros. Our healthcare infrastructure was not ready to cope with it. The life of a medical professional changed from many perspectives. I will go over some:
Professional work: While our Critical care colleagues, Infectious Disease Experts and young medical doctors had been place on round the clock duties in ICU and Covid wards, in most cities beneath the “Epidemic Act” majority of Beds in Hospitals had been taken more than by nearby municipalities. With Lockdown in impact across the nation, specialist work for routine health-related care had come to a standstill. While some of us in the vulnerable group of fifties & sixties willingly stopped work to guard ourselves from infection the coaching of medicos in undergraduate and post graduate courses suffered considerably as they had been drawn into covid duties for pretty much the entire year. Certain procedures believed to produce higher infective aerosol in the surrounding had been either stopped or modified. Many procedures that had been not emergent had been postponed for months. Medical profession was drawn into a dilemma amongst self-protection and supplying optimum surgical care in these attempting occasions. Guidelines had been altering on a each day basis, confusing the medical doctors.
Patient management: We had been not sure if a routine surgery would endanger a patient to the threat of contracting Covid infection in hospital. Would the Doctor or the Hospital be liable for this. To operate on for lengthy hours wearing a PPE 3 was exhausting and complicated. Same for medical doctors and Nurses in ICU and wards. When is it protected to operate on a Covid recovered patient? Is it 4 weeks or 7 weeks as some publications reported? Since there was restriction on attendants in hospital, communication with relatives was a significant concern particularly if the patient was deteriorating. Once the 2nd wave hit the nation, healthcare went for a spin. Oxygen and medicine provide became a key concern. We had been not ready to take the painful selection of deciding whom to connect to oxygen or ventilator and whom to deny when there was a serious shortfall of these along with Covid beds. While the public was largely irresponsible in Covid proper behaviour and delayed hospitalization till the patient was severe, they anticipated instant focus after hospitalised and not prepared to accept any untoward outcome. The HCW had been usually overstretched to deal with such massive numbers. Several situations of attack on Hospitals and Medicos have angered and demoralised the overall health care workers.
Society and Govt: Govt/Media and society did hail and appreciate the challenging work and sacrifices of HCW and designated them Frontline Warriors. In the initial days Govt. did arrange for appropriate keep in Hotels for HCW and even several social organisations and private enterprises like Taj Group supplied assistance and meals at the location of work for several months. However, the guarantee of sufficient protective gear in the initial days to sufficient remuneration for additional duties and overall health/life insurance coverage as promised was mired in bureaucratic lethargy. While approx.1500 HCW have died in line of duty hardly 150 of their households had been supplied with substantially promised 50 Lakh compensation. The open criticism of Modern medicines and advertising unsubstantiated medicines as a remedy by some groups with out a scientific basis with the Govt hunting the other way has hurt the profession in these complicated occasions. This has not only confused the public but has promoted Vaccine hesitancy in the population.
Family Life / Psychological influence: It has been challenging for frontline workers to balance work and family. Many stayed away from family for months to hold the children and elderly protected. There was a higher price of infection amongst HCW in the initial phase and they necessary to keep away. There was a continual worry of transmitting the virus to the family. The anxiety of lengthy working hours and dealing with death on a each day basis with out the assistance and comfort of family had a telling impact on the psyche of the HCW. Many young medicos roped in this crisis had been nonetheless not mature adequate or knowledgeable to face this grave scenario had been the worst to endure from breakdown. Like several professions, HCW also faced a economic crisis. Especially these who had been on their personal and taken loans to get started a practice or other loans.
July 2021: How sensible or ready are we today? We know more about the illness and how to guard ourselves and patients. Better recommendations for management are in location. We are sure of the drugs to be employed and in what settings. Vaccinating the population is a challenge but there is a guarantee. Though we failed to anticipate the second wave and be ready, we have learnt a challenging way from the misery and death of a big population. Still the delta plus mutation is a concern. No one is sure what turn the Virus will take but we are ready to serve mankind and will not fail to provide. That’s a guarantee on Doctors Day.
(The author is Neurosurgeon, Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre. Views expressed are private and do not reflect the official position or policy of the TheSpuzz Online.