HYDERABAD: With the increasing pressure on healthcare infrastructure due to rising COVID-19 cases, a number of nurses in Hyderabad hospitals say they are going on with the fight against the pandemic despite facing multiple challenges.
K Jyothi, a staff nurse at King Koti hospital, stated that she has witnessed immense traumatic situations in the past year and now forced to face the horrors of the second wave. "Patients are increasing each day and there's a shortage of staff to deal with the situation properly. We get around 200 daily cases. We are scared, but we selected this profession and in times of crisis, so we have to rise to the occasion," she said.
She added, "Even though we are worried about the rapid spread of the infection, we comfort patients saying that they will be fine and motivate them to remain mentally strong We usually have 40 leaves yearly now, and we used to work for two consecutive days and take leave for the next two days, but now we are unable to have that, making us restless."
"A lot of us have already tested positive as and so we need to manage with minimal staff. Previously, we would have one staff member for 10 patients, but now for 70 patients in a ward, there is one incharge and two staff members. We are mentally depressed, but we want to serve people," he added.
While the situation is tough for nurses in COVID-dedicated hospitals, nurses working in other hospitals are also facing problems. C Ramadevi, a nurse working in the emergency department of Osmania Hospital, stated that even though it’s not a dedicated COVID-19 hospital, a lot of patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 come to the hospital.
"We try to convince them and request them to go to a COVID hospital. Sometimes, even ambulances just leave the patient at the hospital without any information. We have to work while wearing PPE kits, masks and face shield, but sometimes the ensemble chokes us. My husband and I work in the same hospital. We have to distance ourselves from our children to protect them. I stopped going to family gatherings as well," she said.