Tales of grit amid volunteer work

“I stay away from my four-year-old daughter at home so that she isn’t infected by any chance,” said Surumi.
The members of the civil defence group under the Fire and Rescue Services Department. (Photo | Express)
The members of the civil defence group under the Fire and Rescue Services Department. (Photo | Express)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Twenty-four-year-old Sharukh Khan didn’t have to think twice before rejoining his volunteering team in the pandemic hit coastal belt after recovering from Covid-19. Sharukh had been working on the frontline for 145 days without a break. Managing the helpline, patient transportation and assisting the mobile team are among the many duties assigned to his five-member team deployed in Poonthura, Beemapally and Valiyathura where large clusters were reported.

“I finished my quarantine four days ago and got back on my feet immediately. We were deployed at Poonthura following the reporting of the super spread. Our team coordinated the transportation of 89 Covid-19 patients on a single day. I contracted the infection despite wearing PPE kits,” said Sharukh, who is also a member of the civil defence group under the Fire and Rescue Services.  According to 24-year-old Mohammad Asif Jalal, another volunteer in the team, convincing patients and getting them admitted in respective hospitals based on the severity of their illness is a challenging task.

“We have to take them into confidence and make them understand the process. If one member in a family is positive, the others will have to get tested. We admit them in different hospitals based on the severity of their symptoms,” he said. Ever since the outbreak, Mohammad has been deployed at the airport, railway station, district administration and district medical office for various voluntary work. 28-year-old Surumi N S has been working tirelessly for the past 148 days fighting all odds. “I stay away from my four-year-old daughter at home so that she isn’t infected by any chance,” said Surumi, a contract staff at the Secretariat.

According to her, citizen contribution is the key to bringing positive changes in society. “We panicked when one of our team members turned Covid-19 positive. Fortunately, none of us caught the virus,” added Surumi. The other members are Noufal N and Safar Mohammad.

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