National Doctors Day: COVID Warriors In Odisha Share Their Journeys Of Hope & Struggle

Dr Sourav Panigrahi has been on COVID-19 duty for more than a year now. Despite dealing with extreme pressure constantly, working sleepless nights and being at risk all the time, Panigrahi affirms with a smile that there is no bigger satisfaction than seeing a COVID patient getting discharged from the hospital.

“We see people suffering every day and the virus gets so dangerous at times that you begin to question your faith in life. Not only have we seen patients dying, but we have also seen people from our fraternity losing their lives in a jiffy. But, amid the despair, seeing a patient going back to their families after countless days of battle with the virus gives us hope and that has kept me going,” says Panigrahi, who works at the Critical Care Department at Apollo Hospital in Bhubaneswar.

Like Panigrahi, doctors across India are battling hard against the pandemic in their professional and personal lives too. Putting their own lives at risk, they have been leading the battle against COVID-19 since the outbreak last year.

On National Doctors’ Day on July 1, Odisha Bytes spoke to a few doctors about their experiences and struggles during the pandemic.

Panigrahi has been living away from his family to keep them safe. During this long battle, the patients and their families somewhat became his family.

“The fight with coronavirus was a new experience for all of us including the medical fraternity. It pained our hearts when we could not give concrete answers to the patients and their families. Their helpless faces broke our hearts. We had to deal with these situations while handling the constant rush of patients. In the process, while we helped the families deal with stress, there were times when they gave us hope too,” he says.

Over the past one year, Panigrahi’s biggest lesson has been that a positive attitude is a battle half won. “While we believe that we will be able to win this battle, it is also important that we do not take precautions and restrictions lightly at any cost,” he adds.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, experts knew little about this novel infectious disease and the treatment. Dr Jagdeep Nayak, who had been at the frontline at the COVID hospital in Berhampur last year, says the second wave has spared no one.

“During the first wave of the pandemic, COVID-19 majorly affected older people and those with comorbidities. Now, however, it is affecting everyone, especially the young guns. With time, revelations surrounding the disease keep happening and it has been a rollercoaster ride for us keeping track with it,” says Nayak, who works as an assistant professor at MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur.

On a personal level, staying away from his three-year old daughter has been the most difficult part.

“My interaction with her got limited to waving at each other or not meeting her at all on many days. I interacted with my friends and family from the hospital whenever I felt low and they have been extremely supportive. I spoke to them even at 3 am when I felt extremely low simply with the thought that I could not go near my family,” says Nayak.

Dr Bapuji Nayak based in Jajpur has been working with the tribal population over the last one year. Sharing his experiences, he says that it has been a job of patience working in rural areas.

“While they take precautions and respect the government guidelines, it is difficult to convince them to take medicines. Counselling them about the virus and making them aware of its effects have been a large part of my job and it required persistence and building trust so that they pay heed,” says Nayak, who attends to more than 100 calls a day from the local communities.

The second wave has brought on new challenges for him with the tribal population extremely hesitant to get themselves vaccinated. “They need to be sensitised about the significance of vaccination as a public health measure. At times, they are so adamant that they will not even speak to you. But we have had to make rounds of discussions to convince them to take the vaccine. At the end of the day, you cannot give up and as a doctor has to do what will keep people around you safe,” he adds.

Dr Sachidananda Mohanty, Medical Superintendent at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar shares that over the last one year their functioning has changed.

“The second wave is more dangerous and since the first wave hit, we have had a number of learning. As doctors, we have to be constantly aware of ensuring that the right treatment reaches people. Just providing treatment is not the goal; in this case, providing the right treatment is the goal,” he says.

Mohanty said he didn’t have the time to stop and think about his mental health during this time. However, he agrees that the situation is mentally taxing.

“The many people who have lost their lives also include members from your own fraternity and thinking about such things definitely makes you weak. But, as a doctor, you know your priorities and have to continue doing your duty come what may,” he shares.