International Nurses Day: Going strong to take care of those in need

The second wave of Covid-19 has left those in the health care services reeling under its brutal impact. And the steep rise in cases of home isolation in the Capital, have made nurses face challenges like never before! Amid heightened stress and exhaustion, those on home nursing duty are burning the midnight oil as there are no fixed work hours; since most are booked for 24-hour care for patients. On International Nurses Day (May 12), some of the Delhi-NCR based home nurses share their tales of struggle.

Often spending days with one patient, taking care of all their needs, can leave many worried about getting infected themselves. “But the day I joined this profession, I forgot the idea of fear,” says Imran Khan, a home nurse on duty in Faridabad. He adds, “Some patients recover in a few days; some take 15 days, or even more. It does get tiring; taking care of another person is a tough job, and it gets hard when someone’s health takes a turn for the worst. I have to manage everything - keeping their vitals stable, getting them hospitalised. But the time is such, I don’t want to say no to helping people,” says Khan, from Tejas Care24, as he tends to Covid positive patients while staying away from his family for days together.

Their dedication and individualised care is making home nurses a preferred choice among many Delhiites, especially for the elderly in the house. “On an average, we get 20-25 calls every day, from people looking for nurses to take care of their family members,” says Fahimuddin, a resident of Uttam Nagar, who is helping provide nursing staff services to Delhiites. “We administer IV drips and medication as per the prescription, assist in pain management and keep an eye on the vitals of the patients. Nurses on home duty have to take care of it all! And people are preferring to isolate at home, especially during this time, since the hospitals are not only charging a lot but also have limited staff, whereas the services provided by home care nursing staff are available at comparatively subsidised prices and personalised attention.”

Staying in close proximity to coronavirus patients is risky, but that hasn’t deterred many of the nurses for their emotion to serve the humanity has been their guarding angel. Ashley, a home nurse in Delhi, who is currently caring for a Covid patient, says, “During my first duty as a home nurse, I got fever, and remained scared for a few days until my health improved. The constant fear of getting infected is both emotionally and physically draining. While we do our best to take care of the patients, the risk of going home and infecting our families is ever present!”

Many a times, the risk becomes reality, posing gruelling challenges to these nurses. A home nurse shares that she tested positive soon after visiting a Covid positive patient in Gurugram. “I was with the patient for an hour, and caught the virus in spite of following all the safety measures. I tested positive and soon after my husband too got Covid, and we immediately isolated ourselves at home. We’ve made full recovery, but this hasn’t been the case for quite a few in the health care industry. I’m, even today, constantly afraid of infecting my family, now that I know that people can get reinfected. But, I continue to be on duty because that comes first,” says the nurse on condition of anonymity.

The magnitude of the risk factor increases manifold when people lie about their Covid status to book a home nurse. Dr Mukesh Kumar, who runs nursing bureau, Om Nursing Home, in the Capital, says, “We follow all safety measures — PPE Kits, masks, gloves, and sanitisers are provided to all the nurses who are on duty. We’re extremely professional when providing services, with no exploitation of those in need. But, we’ve had instances where people didn’t inform us that the request was for a Covid patient! They make excuses that the patient only had fever and hence they don’t have a report either. This puts our staff and us at peril, even when we are doing all that we can, and at great personal cost... People should spare a thought about nurses as well.”

Author tweets @bhagat_mallika

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