India's choked and chided doctors, nurses and health workers are also crying for help

• According to the Indian government, around 174 doctors, 116 nurses and 199 health workers have died until February this year.
• Business Insider spoke to a few doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff from various parts of the country.
• This unprecedented situation has restricted them to even meet their family, making it all the more difficult.

Drowned in the cries for help from the patients and their kin ⁠— daily new COVID-19 cases in India has crossed 3 lakh ⁠— is the clarion call from the country's doctors, nurses and volunteers who are combating the virus daily.

According to the Indian government, around 174 doctors, 116 nurses and 199 health workers have died until February this year. A year ago, they had a different challenge. Many of the health workers were getting ostracised and even attacked for working with COVID-19 infected patients. The situation has changed but not necessarily for the better.

Business Insider spoke to a few doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff in Mumbai, Pune, New Delhi, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and found them severely overworked, stressed, frustrated or depressed.


“We wear this PPE (personal protective equipment) kit straight for 8 hours and once we wear the kit we are not allowed to eat anything, drink water or even use the washroom for the next 8 hours,” said a nurse working in a government hospital in New Delhi. It is mandatory for the health workers in the COVID ward to wear the PPE kit to save themselves from the viral infection, which is one of the most challenging things.

The PPE kit has to be disposed of once removed, due to limited supply, they are bound to wear for long hours. "This PPE kit makes it very difficult to breathe, we get tired so easily, we keep sweating but we cannot do anything about it,” she added.


This unprecedented situation has restricted them to even meet their family, making it all the more difficult especially for mothers with small kids. “We haven’t gone home for 2 months, we’re not allowed to go home as we are more vulnerable to catching the infection, we don’t want to infect our family members,” said a health worker from Dadra and Nagar Haveli. They have been provided a temporary accommodation by the government, for now.

This is not the only issue. Some of the medical staff told us about people misbehaving with them. “Relatives and family members of some patients misbehave and talk to us very rudely,” said a nurse who is working in a private hospital in Delhi.


Almost every hospital is facing an acute shortage of intensive care unit (ICU) beds. “More than 100 people come daily looking for a bed, but due to shortage we have to send them back,” said one of the nurses in Mumbai. The hospitals are unable to fuel the demand for beds in almost every state.

Not surprisingly, it is taking a toll on their mental health, too. “We don’t have time to think about anything, we’re exhausted mentally and physically,” said the private hospital nurse from Delhi. The ongoing pandemic has created a panic situation in our country, putting the burden and pressure on the doctors and hospitals, who are putting their lives at risk.


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