A Doctor’s First Day Treating COVID-19 Patients
A mother’s heart harbours, in equal measure, dread and love. 10
“Can’t you take sick leave?” mine suggests before realising the answer for herself. I have just shown her a text message from a colleague. “The Covid round is arduous, take good care.” In the now forgotten past when we knew so little, I had agreed to join the Covid-19 roster. Now, with a global toll of 200,000, that casual offer has turned consequential.
In preparation, I talk to my friend with Covid skills, a new category born just weeks ago. Slow down. Don and doff PPE (personal protective equipment) with great care. Carry your stethoscope in a kidney dish. Don’t touch your face. But it’s his last exhortation that strikes me. Remember that our patients are scared. Spend time with them and calm their fears. The irony of how to reconcile the sage advice with the natural instinct to get in and out of a room as quickly as possible doesn’t escape me.
The night before the round, I memorise the PPE process, as if watching the video from three countries will make me thrice as safe. In the morning, I shed my wedding ring, find old clothes and head off quietly before the children wake up. No point in creating unnecessary drama. The roads are deserted but the handover room in the hospital is bustling as the night and morning teams meticulously go through each admission.
DR RANJANA SRIVASTAVA, Fulbright Future Scholar (Public Health/Monash University)
STAY CALM AND BANISH FEAR:
