New Delhi: “It is like we were going to a battlefield. I feel like someone from the armed forces. I want to do something for my country,” said 27-year-old Senior Resident Dr. Ajay Mohan from the Department of Surgery, who is currently posted in the D6 Covid ICU ward of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi. He told IANS what it is like being posted in the highest contagious disease COVID-19 ICU ward.
Doctors are at the forefront of the war against the novel coronavirus. When people across the world are scared to come near a corona patient due to its high level of infectivity, these duty-bound warriors enter the ICU, knowing well hostile environment. Their objective: Do everything to make the patients fit and fine.
Speaking to IANS, Dr. Ajay Mohan said: “In February when I came to know that my name is listed in the institute circular of doctors posted for Covid duty, it filled me wih pride and excitement — I was to be a frontline warrior.”
He said he and his colleagues were in a unique situation. “Very few researches were available then and we did not know much about our safety during our work while treating this particular disease,” said
At least six Covid patients and suspects are admitted in the ICU during his 6-hour daily shift. The hours increase the stress levels as many patients come in a critical condition.
Talking about his state of mind while donning the complete PPE kit, Dr Mohan said: “It takes around 20 minutes to wear the complete PPE kit. We had workshops on PPE kits in our college.”
“We have to wear the kit for the entire 6-hour duty. We have to wear it before entering the ICU. Once we are inside the ICU, we are contaminated so we can not exit before our duty ends. During those 6 hours, we can’t eat or drink or even use the washroom. It feels very hot after wearing the PPE and once after doffing, our whole body is full of sweat. Also it hurts a lot. The shield which we wear, loses visibility due to sweat and moisture in three to four hours, but we have to keep it on”.
He said doffing the PPE is even more time-consuming as there are high chances of contracting infection from the aerosols while taking off the PPE kit. “Doffing takes more than 30 minutes” he said.
Dr Mohan said back in his hometown in Kerala, initially he did not disclose to his parents that he was posted in the COVID ICU. “I never shared with my parents that I’m posted in covid ICU for the initial one week as I knew they would get tense.” His brother was posted in a hospital in Wuhan city of China and had seen the devastating conditions there due to COVID-19.
“My brother is also a doctor who volunteered to work in a Wuhan hospital during the pandemic in December and January. He was brought back by the Indian government in February after his duty was over. He had experienced a lot. Even he was scared to know that I was posted for covid duty,” said Dr. Ajay Mohan .
“I get calls thrice a day from my anxious mother,” he said.
“Major depressing factor about this situation is that I can’t meet my friends inside my campus during these days as I am expected to maintain strict quarantine measures post duty too. But I follow it as last thing I would want is to spread infection to my loved ones,” said the doctor. (IANS)
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