CHENNAI: They have been on the frontline, spending weeks at a stretch in closed, high-risk wards, putting up a brave fight against coronavirus. It was only a week ago that the defence forces showered flowers from helicopters and beamed lights from naval ships to express gratitude towards such corona health workers, who are risking their lives to save patients from the clutches of COVID-19.
There have been videos on social media on neighbours thanking these workers with songs and claps. However, these symbolic acts of gratitude do not seem to have had much impact on many people, who continue to stigmatise those on the war front. These health workers are now facing a battle of perception by their own neighbours.
For Umashankari, a 46-year-old staff nurse at a government hospital in KK Nagar, life was normal till a few weeks back. Being a nurse for over 22 years, she has carried the occupational risk of contracting diseases from patients. But this time, it was different. She was in the ward of corona-infected patients. While on duty, she developed fever and tested positive. After spending weeks in the isolation ward of Kilpauk Medical College, Umashankari came out on May 8. However, the world outside was not the same
anymore as neighbours had started ostracising her.
Her troubles started after she reached home in Kamarajar Colony at Kodambakkam. “There was no water. So, I called up the supplier on the neighbouring street. He told me that I could go there to fetch water. As I went out, people chased me back home,” Umashankari said, adding that she had even worn two masks and gloves.
“They questioned me if I had come home only to spread the virus,” said the nurse, who has a paralysed husband and two children to take care of. Umashankari approached police personnel on duty in the containment zone, only to be turned away. She said that her son, who had tested negative, was also being stopped from venturing out to buy essentials.
“We are running out of cash as we are not allowed to go to ATM.” “On TV, they show doctors and nurses being applauded for their service. The reality is different. I want other nurses to know what happened to me,” rued Umashankari. A Corporation official said that her son would be allowed to make essential purchases. Officials from the Corporation and police department visited her on Sunday and promised to take care of the issues. “They apologised on behalf of the public,” Umashankari said.
Officials apologise
A group of officials from the Corporation and the police department visited the nurse on Sunday evening and apparently promised her to take care of the issues. “They apologised to me on behalf of the public,”
she said.