Nursing all worries

BENGALURU: In her three decades in nursing, Latha Nonis, Head of Nursing Department, Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road has geared up for many tough cycles of events. But for her, this is nothing but duty. “Since our profession is listed under essential services, we cannot step back from our duty. We have prepared ourselves and the staff, and educated the nursing team on crucial aspects. A lot of supporting services including housekeeping have been trained accordingly,” says Nonis, adding that while the current times are a test, leaving no stone unturned is her focus.

Ask her about the challenges and Nonis emphasises on the training provided being sufficient and reflects on previous instances of outbreaks such as H1N1. “A lot of importance on education even in the case of COVID-19 has been implemented. The basic mantra for this pandemic is hand hygiene, when it comes to the family of the nursing staff, we also carry daily updates to their families from our end and encourage video communication.” For the safety of her staff, Nonis has also reduced the number of nurses per patient.

She adds, “It is not easy to work with a COVID-19 patient for long hours due to the safety suits and equipments, so we have reduced the working hours for the nurses and instead of three shifts, it is four.” She further addressed the worry surrounding the situation and states that while the country has previously witnessed outbreaks of H1N1, Swine Flu and Nipah Virus, such outbreaks will occur over a course of time but losing hope is not an option. “Prevention is better than cure, even today, if we follow hand hygiene and support the people by staying indoors, then we can face the issue with ease.”