COVID-19 war: Indian origin health staff abroad battle stress By Manisha Rege

Mumbai, May 13 () Medical professionals of Indianorigin in the UK and USA are also battling emotional traumaand stress like their counterparts in India while taking careof COVID-19 patients and fighting the disease, which hasspread to virtually every corner of the world.

Dr Sajjad Pathan, an Indian origin emergency medicinespecialist based in London, told that in the UnitedKingdom also, doctors are going through a lot of anxietyrelated to exposure to the coronavirus, and carrying theinfection home to family is a major concern.

"I have no choice but to work in these difficulttimes and I can't escape from my responsibilities as it was Iwho had made the choice some years ago to be a frontlineemergency medicine doctor," he said.

But the fear of bringing the infection back home tofamily members, specially elders and kids, is something whichis worrisome, he said.

"We, at our hospital, have divided our emergencydepartment into hot (COVID) and cold (non-COVID) zones. We areseeing roughly about 75 to 100 patients per day of suspectedCOVID-19 in the hot zones. We have been allocating doctors fora period of three to fours in the hot zones on rotationbasis," he said.

Pathan said medical workers are experiencing anxietysince theysaw some of their colleagues becoming unwell andsome succumbing to the disease.

"But, we are still staying positive and doing what weare supposed to do in these difficult times," he said.

The doctor said at times, it becomes difficult forthem to decide who (patient) will benefit with the intensivecare management and ventilator support and who will not.

"As ventilators and intensive beds are gettingexhausted, we have to take early decisions on what would bethe ceiling of care for certain groups," he informed.

"I have cried at certain times after taking suchdifficult decisions, as I felt helpless that we could not domuch for them and sometimes knowing that any care providedwill be futile," Pathan said.

Moreover, the thought of these patients dying aloneand that they may never see their family members again (asvisitors are restricted) is very disheartening and painful,he said.

On his daily routine after reaching home, Pathan saidhis 10-year-old son keeps a distance of two metres andinteraction with family members is mostly through WhatsApp.

"I feel sad when my son keeps asking me when theisolation would end and when would I be able to hug him andplay crush, a tight hug which under normal conditions hedislikes, with him," he said.

Asked why the situation turned alarming, Pathansaidinitially there was a delay in identifying that the viruscould possibly turn into a pandemic.

Lack of prior information about this new strain ofcoronavirus and unavailability of any firm evidence-basedtreatment protocols or vaccines, lack of adequate number ofhospital beds and ventilators compounded the problem, he said.

Sini Samuel, a nurse working at a hospital in New Yorkis also undergoing a similar stress.

"A state like New York is a melting pot, hence nomatter how we try there is going to be an influx of peoplefrom all over. Initially, when the cases started, people werenot much concerned as no one imagined it would hit so hard,hence the needed precautions were not taken," she said.

Samuel said in New York most of the health carepersonnel return home after work and take utmost care not toexpose their loved ones to any risk.

"The emotional trauma is watching a patient'scondition deteriorating within a matter of minutes or hours.We are emotionally drained and fearful for our own lives whenwe come across lives cut short way too soon. Some people didnot even get a chance to fight for their lives," she said.

Another issue is wearing the mask during the entireshift of 10 to 12 hours, whichis physically uncomfortable,she said, adding that health workers have been boosting theirimmune systems by consuming more multivitamins.

Samuel also feels that people's outlook towards healthcare personnel needs to change and they should be moreaccepting and understanding.

"Everything cannot be perfect all the time, soshortcomings must be tolerated. There has to be a sense oftrust between people and health care workers, she said.

US-based epidemiologist Dr Neeti Vyas said thesituation turned alarming due to the "unknown nature of thevirus".

"By the time we understood basics about the virus,like the strain of the virus and how it spreads, the virus hadinfected several people across the world," she said.

Vyas said frontline health care workers should try asmuch as possible to avoid contaminating their living space.

"This usually involves having a 'decontamination zone'as soon as you enter your house,or even outside your frontdoor. It involves first changing clothes, entering a showerand disinfecting every surface they touched on way to theirrooms and ensuring no physical contact with kids before that,"she said. MRGK GK