BELAGAVI: “Mummy, illi baa (come here),” the little one wails in Kannada on seeing her quarantined mother in front of a facility. For the mother, Sugandha Korepur, a nurse, the daughter is so near yet so far.
Unable to hold back her tears, Sugandha turns around, adjusts her mask and gently wipes them away.
She turns back to see her three-year-old daughter still crying and asking her to come close. Helpless, she waves her hand and says bye to her daughter with a heavy heart.
The scene of the union of the three-year-old with her quarantined mother from Belagavi on Tuesday has left several people there moist-eyed.
This heart-tugging video clip has gone viral. On watching the video, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa too who was moved, immediately contacted Sugandha over the phone and tried to bolster her confidence while appreciating her noble service in the COVID ward.
The COVID-19 scare has not merely rendered healthcare workers vulnerable to the deadly virus, but it has also taken a toll on their families. Sugandha, a staff nurse working in the COVID-19 ward of Belagavi district hospital, has just completed one week of the quarantine period. And she has been strictly advised not to meet her family members until her quarantine period ends next week. But Aishwarya has been insisting that her father take her to see her mom and has been crying non-stop for the past three days.
‘Need to sacrifice for the sake of patients’
And the father decided to take her on his bike so she can get a glimpse of her mother. Soon, he reached the hotel where Sugandha is quarantined. While trying hard to persuade Aishwarya that Sugandha will be back home shortly, her father said, “Aishwarya is extremely attached to her mother. For the past few days, she has been insisting on meeting her mom and stopped eating in protest. My neighbours had suggested I take Aishwarya to the hotel so that she can see her mother.’’
Speaking to TNIE, Sugandha said she misses her daughter a lot but she was committed to her job.
“I have a bigger responsibility to serve my patients. My husband works in the district hospital as a supervisor. As I have a greater responsibility as staff nurse to work in the COVID ward at this moment of crisis, I asked my husband to stay home to take care of Aishwarya. I need to do such sacrifices for the sake of the patients,’’ she says.
“The CM’s phone call came as a surprise today,” said Sugandha, adding “he exhorted me to work courageously and said he was there with all the medical staff in this moment of crisis.”
CM’s letter to Sugandha
In a letter to Sugandha, the CM appreciated her service and also staying away from her family. The CM recalled the relentless efforts being made by ASHA health workers, paramedical staff, nurses, doctors, sanitation workers, police and other government employees to prevent the spread of the virus.
The CM assured Sugandha that his government would find solutions to the problems which employees in the healthcare sector were facing.
“I will personally take interest in resolving all the problems which you (Sugandha) have brought to my notice once the prevailing COVID-19 situation is brought under control,’’ the CM added in the letter.