A Doctor's Perspective On Covid-19 Challenges Faced By Medical Fraternity

The coronavirus pandemic created a medical crisis in the world unprecedented in our lifetime. it has come with the scarcity of resources initially to understand it, combat it, and has created lot of anxiety and confusion. it has put a lot of stress and pressure on the medical fraternity as they face this humungous crisis. as the viral infection erupted it was associated with significantly high risk of fomite, droplet, and air transmission. It meant that medical personnel were largely in battleground unarmed where there the coronavirus bullet would bite them from nay were. They carried great burden and fear of carrying the virus home and infecting their family. many of us slept in separate rooms from there families out if these fears in the last lockdown. As wave one struck, we were struck with managing disease in isolation, working long hours in PPE kits, and treating it very limited medical resources bringing in frustration fatigue and helplessness. Wave 2 completely overwhelmed us putting the medical fraternity in significant duress trying the help the community hold on in the deluge of the covid onslaught. The pressure, scarcity of resources, resultant morbidity and mortality all brought in extreme helplessness stress, and burnout.
however, in wake of mounting pressures, the medical fraternity gas stood up remarkably to combat this unprecedented menace. 

The first mechanism is the support of family and friends who have stood by them to provide with hope, enthusiasm, recreation, and ample mental and physical nourishment without letting the fear of disease or pressure of long work hours get to them. medical professionals with the understanding and carefully take precautions have thwarted the fear of getting infected themselves and have continued work more strongly and the sense of duty demanded. They have put service before self and worked through PPE kits to help anxious patients and families while with rational understanding letting those anxieties get to them. they have taken each other as their string supports to reflect, discuss, and move on to fight the disease. they have done the research, kept their own self well humoured to clarify the myths around the disease created by deluge of information on the social media. having been trained in the tough environment of already overwhelmed government services due high numbers, they have stood up to the adage when the situation gets tough, the tough get going.

In between the waves there was a small period of disease freedom and easing of fears and restrictions which they have used to entertain, humour themselves to allow them to prepare for the onslaught of the second wave. they have actually got closer as a community and social media may have helped and given strength to each other. The hospital organizations have helped to create an environment of safety and support for them across the world. certainly, the renewed respect, understanding and support of the community had helped a great deal. the family and friends have been the main pillars to acres the burden, frustration, helplessness and have given them rebid strength courage to get up and get going even stronger than before. I the end its the strength of training, understanding, research and people around your own self that help your shoulders such tough responsibilities and carry on with your duty.

(Dr. Praveen Gupta is the Director for Neurology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram. Views expressed are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of Outlook Magazine.)