I take my hat off to my team

yolanda huerta Nurse Bupa Antofagasta Hospital

Our work was to calm and reassure cancer patients, who were concerned that because of the pandemic or the lockdown their treatment would be stopped.

ANTOFAGASTA — CHILE

The first thing we did was call our cancer patients, remind them of the prevention guidelines to help protect themselves from the virus, inform them of how their appointments would be dealt with, encourage them to only leave their homes when absolutely necessary. Finally, we provided them with out mobile number so they could ring us if they had any questions. It was a mammoth task.

Our patients are aged between 26 and 90 years old and they are immunocompromised and therefore very vulnerable to Covid.

If anyone was ill and had to come to the emergency unit, we would work together with the emergency manager so that the patient didn’t have to wait and could come in quickly. Our objective was to protect them from any unnecessary risk.

It is sad to see how people haven’t really taken it on board and are just walking around the streets freely. It is so different to how it has been for us here in the firing line, leaving our families, changing our way of life and working double or triple shifts.

For most of our cancer patients, the centre is like their second home. We are very close to them. They tell us: You cheer us up every day, you sort things out for us, you are always smiling. That’s why a patient’s death is not easy for us and not easy to tell the family. You suffer, because you have grown to love them too, but you have to be happy and positive. At times like that, a hug means so much, and we can’t give one.

The doctors have been very protective of us, trying to keep us from getting Covid or from infecting the patients. That’s why we would have 14-day shifts.

As coordinator of the oncology centre, I am so proud of my team. It’s been hard over these past months but they have been amazing. We have looked after each other and thank God, nobody has caught it. The team’s families have also been well. I take my hat off to them. �