Swine-flu outbreak has already infected 2,637 people
in the city and claimed 46 lives so far.
Most of them have undergone or are still admitted to
Ahmedabad Civil Hospital where a team of 115 staff members has been working
round-the-clock to save lives. Every day, 21 doctors are assigned different
shifts along with anaesthetists, nurses, ward boys and laboratory assis tants.
Already, three medicos of the hospital have contracted swine flu.But the team
shrugs it off as professional hazard and continues to carry its duties,
diligently. “The hospital is swamped with patients from not only Ahmedabad and
Gujarat, but also from other states. Our team works 247 to provide best
possible care to the patients,“ says Dr M M Prabhakar, medical superintendent
of Civil Hospital. Mirror speaks to some of these staff members who are so busy
attending to patients that they often go without having food and hardly get
time for family.
Dr Asha Shah
HOD, MEDICINE
She supervises the goings-on at the isolation ward of
the hospital. Her sons get worried about her health as she works 12 hours a
day. “They ask me not to take stress. But stress is inevitable in my
profession. I have to check whether patients are receiving proper treatment and
discuss every case with the doctors. I also visit other wards to check
patients. There is too much work pressure, but I am not complaining. What are
doctors for?
Who else will save lives?“ she asks.
Who else will save lives?“ she asks.
Ritaben Patel
NURSING IN-CHARGE
The 44-year-old mother of two spends 12 hours at the
isolation ward daily.Though she misses her children, she tries not to think
about them when at work. “My husband and children will be attending my cousin's
marriage, but I would not be able to go. I am on duty here,“ she says. “My
family is my biggest support system and has the highest regard for me. They are
the ones who told me that I should not take an off because the patients need
people like me,“ she says.
Dr Kartik Kachhadiya
RESIDENT DOCTOR
He works at the isolation ward for eight hours and
then burns the midnight oil, reading what has been taught in the class. “There
is no such thing as a fixed time to have food or sleep. Whenever we get some
time, we squeeze these activities in,“ he says with a smile. He takes such
trying times as a “learning experience“. “It is an honour to serve patients. I
chose this profession fully aware of what is expected of me,“ he says.
Dr Bhavna Raval,
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, ANAESTHESIA
Her nephew took ill this month, but due to the
12-hour shift at the hospital, she did not find time to visit him. She has
missed several important family functions already as she refuses to take leave.
“When a patient is on the ventilator and in a critical condition, the last
thing on your mind is a family function.There is a bigger responsibility
here.We are expected to provide immediate assistance to doctors. We have to
remain alert and respond to the needs of every patient,“ she says.
Dr Owais Maskati
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE
Like many other doctors, he has not taken leave for
even a day since the flu outbreak. After working for 12 hours at the hospital
daily, he does not have time for his parents. Movies and cultural programmes
are a thing of the past.But he has no plans to take leave as it would burden
others. “We are one as a team. There is no question of taking leave. That is
the least I can do to ease pressure on my team members,“ he says.
Lalitaben,
CLASS 4 STAFF
She lives in a joint family with her husband and
works in shifts at the hospital. On the day she has a morning shift, she wakes
up at 5 am to cook food for the family and leaves by 6.30 am. When dealing with
swine flu patients, she has to take extra precautions at the hospital as well
as home. “I had worked in the isolation ward even during the 2009 H1N1
outbreak. We are trained to handle such situations. I am happy to work for
others,“ she says.
IN THE ISOLATION WARD
» The hospital has 187 patients in four isolation
wards.
» About 21 resident doctors work round the clock with
seven doctors each in eight-hour shift.
» Four anaesthetists and an assistant professor work
in two shifts.
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