KT braves Covid combat inside a Dubai hospital
dubai — There are no grenades or bombs. No Kalashnikovs or missiles. But it is no less a battlefront for doctors and nurses treating coronavirus positive patients in Dubai.
In a first-ever in the UAE,
Khaleej Times got exclusive access to report from inside a Covid ward in a private hospital in Dubai. This reporter embedded with medics to understand what it is like to fight an invisible enemy that has already claimed several lives. And what we saw was eye-opening.
The eerie silence inside the ICU is broken by the constant beeping of monitors attached to patients’ beds. There are men of different age groups who are under treatment. Many are battling multiple symptoms and are on ventilators. Nurses move around checking the vitals of patients every hour.
There is fear. But there is a job to be done. So we have to overcome our fears and come here every day to treat our patients
Aijun
Nurse at Aster Hospital
It is not an easy job to be a healthcare worker, especially when they are fighting a killer virus. Enduring the discomfort of sweaty PPEs (personal protective equipment), doctors and nurses are working round the clock in highly infectious surroundings to help patients recover.
“It is dangerous. But it is not as bad as we imagine. We follow all safety protocols while donning and doffing the PPE. We are doctors and the call of duty is paramount,” said Dr Sherbaz Bichu, CEO and Specialist Anesthetist at Aster Hospitals.
“There is fear. But there is a job to be done. So we have to overcome our fears and come here every day to treat our patients,” said Aijun, a nurse on duty inside the ICU ward.
Another healthcare worker, who is under treatment at the hospital says he knew he would get infected because the exposure was high. “But I am a nephrologist and some of my patients tested positive. I developed high fever and could not even move. The pain was bone crushing. I thought I would die.”
But the doctor, whose wife is also in the same profession and is treating Covid patients, says as soon as he gets well, he is going back to duty. “That is why we are doctors.”