In my own words: A resident doctor in an isolation ward

Having completed my MBBS degree two years ago I started working as a resident in 2019 and was posted at the inpatient department in the general wardPersonally for me there was never one aha moment when I realised that I wanted to become a doctor I was good at academics and it seemed like a natural choice And so far the job has been satisfactory and filled with purpose When a patient or a relative appreciates what you do it feels goodOur duties at the hospitals inpatient department is to give patients symptomatic treatment get their blood tests done and coordinate with the consulting doctorA couple of weeks ago when the government announced that private hospitals would also have to set up isolation wards for the treatment of COVID19 suspected and confirmed patients our administration called the resident doctors in and said it would require us for the job I along with two others volunteered After all when you decide to become a doctor this is what you sign up for The Coronavirus is a highly infectious virus but to deny services at this time would be going against the ethics of the profession But it was only when we started training that we realised how risky this assignment was A large part of the training focused on how to get in and out of the Personal Protective Equipment These are similar to the Hazmat suits being used in China but not the same They are of two types reusable and disposable We use the reusable ones since they are easier to work with when you are wearing them for long hours In addition to that when you enter the ward you have to wear masks to cover your eyes an N95 mask and double gloves just in case one layer tears The training was largely for the suits How to wear and remove them without contacting infection Once we remove the suits they go into a machine where they undergo a chemical cleaning processBut its suffocating to wear the suits for the long hours required There are three of us on COVID19 duty at a time and we work in eighthour shiftsWork is the same We examine the patients check their reports and how their vitals are doing At the hospital currently we have nine patients who have tested positive and one is in the ICU Theres another ICU dedicated for suspected casesSharma now lives in the hospital and hasnt seen her family in two weeksOur ward has six staff members at a timemdashthree nurses two housekeeping staff and myself If we need help with a case we coordinate with the senior doctors who are available on the phone They come once a day to check on the patientsThe condition of every patient differs There are some who have tested positive but show no symptoms Some need special care We manage their symptoms including fever in which case we are bringing down their temperature shortness of breath they are put on ventilators etcSymptoms can get aggravated among senior citizens or those with a preexisting heart condition In such cases the infection flares up and the patient needs constant monitoringThe situation in India is not as severe as say in the US or Italy Whatever happens in India in the coming months we will face it My family lives with me here in Mumbai but I havent seen them since I started the assignment at the ward They were worried when I signed up for COVID duty but it was eventually my decisionWe have been allotted our own rooms in the hospital However we are not in isolation We move around go to the canteen talk to colleagues keeping safe distance We have been told to watch out for symptoms of course The hospital has been my world for two weeksCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates