The contribution of nurses attending to Nipah fever patients came to spotlight as one nurse, Lini Puthuserry, contracted the virus and succumbed. Her death put focus on the occupational risk that is less talked about in normal times - when there is no public health emergency.
“Many times we talk about the nurses being angels saving lives, but this is one occasion, we could proudly proclaim it,” recollected Neethu E, one of the staff nurses at Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, who attended the Nipah patients at the isolation ward here. She is one among the many who toiled for hours, restless, and without food and sleep, not only to save the patients, but to save the rest of the people outside.
“Wearing the protection equipment and mask for long hours were tiring in the beginning, but we got used to it. One had to be even more careful removing and disposing the PPE (personal protective equipment). Since the mask could not be used for more than 6 hours, the shift timing was reduced to six hours and one nurse each was assigned to two patients. The number of nurses would again go up considering the condition of the patients.
“I still can not forget the faces of the parents of Rasil, who was the last patient to die from the ward. The parents were under observation. They watched their son die, but were not allowed to go near or attend to him. We, though reluctantly, had to tell them to keep themselves away to avoid contracting the virus. It was painful to see such a helpless situation. After 15 days of observation, they could leave the hospital, but there was no one to console them. Who would dare to go near them in such a condition?" Neethu narrated.
Saino Thambi, another staff nurse at MCH, remembers how some of them had to stay back at the hostel since they had young children at home. “Everyone strictly followed the instructions for using the PPE. We had only limited time to attend to each patient, and hence everything was coordinated prior to attending. Even if we forget to give an injection, we can not go and make personal contact often. So, everything had to be well coordinated. Maximum attention had to be given in minimum time. We were taking turns to attend at the ward,” she said.
