– Some local doctors working 24/7
– as War on COVID-19 deepens

By Navendra Seoraj

AS the fight against the deadly Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease continues, doctors and other “frontline” workers have been “giving it their all”, and in some cases working way beyond the call of duty to ensure that patient-care is administered adequately.

With the “Hippocractic Oath” at the back of their heads, doctors of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) have been leading the fight against an “invisible” killer, in the form of COVID-19, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 169,000 persons worldwide.

Combatting the disease has not been an easy task, but doctors have been working more than 100 hours, overtime, a month to ensure that care is available around-the-clock. This adds to the regular 160 hours completed by a doctor during one month, under normal circumstances.

Locally, there have been 70 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with seven deaths, and while that number may seem small compared to other countries, doctors still have to “be on their toes”, because they do not know when a suspected case or another confirmed case would come through the door.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the newly-discovered coronavirus.

The WHO said most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illnesses and recover without requiring special treatment. Older persons and those with underlying medical problems such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer, are more likely to develop serious illness.

The disease, which is very contagious, could infect anyone at any time, and with that in mind, doctors have been alert and ready to deal with cases which may present to the hospital.

“With the present schedule, we have been working in excess of 100 hours a month; overtime,” said Registrar of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases at GPHC, Dr. Dev Persaud during an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Thursday.

LEADING THE CHARGE

Dr. Persaud, who is among a team of doctors leading the charge in the hospital’s COVID-19 unit, said it is challenging to get through those long hours, but doctors and other healthcare workers have taken it upon themselves to motivate each other in order to get the job done.

“It is challenging, and I cannot say it is not overwhelming when you have a patient who is really ill, then you have to transfer a patient out of the Unit then bring another one from another hospital, then tend to the tent hospital… that can be overwhelming,” the young physician said.

“What has helped is, the team I am on, we take our time and manage human resources, so that everyone knows what we are doing matters, and at the same time, we are doing what we need to do in order to take care of each other’s wellbeing,” he told the Guyana Chronicle.

But despite the odds, he said that giving up is not an option. In fact, Dr. Persaud, like many of his colleagues, has made personal sacrifices to ensure that patients get the care they deserve.

In talking about his personal sacrifices, he said: “I live with my mother and brothers, but I live alone now. It was not an easy decision, but you have to care for the ones you love… I have been keeping my distance; I even spend less time with my girlfriend, but I am glad that there is some level of understanding.”

In some cases, persons do not consider the sacrifices of these healthcare workers, and often discriminate against them. But, on the other hand, there are those who motivate and salute healthcare  workers for persevering and ensuring that care is delivered adequately.

“When we have persons, whether in our own private lives or social media, or even civil society encouraging us, we feel that it is worth it, because what we do is, without a doubt, high-stress. But the encouragement pushes us to do what we do,” Dr. Persaud said.

He even went so far as to say that doctors and nurses are not the only frontline workers who deserve encouragement and recognition, because frontline workers also include janitors, ambulance drivers, and other ancillary staff who are doing their equal best to aid in the fight against the disease.

IMPROVING THE SYSTEM

Frontline workers, he said, are not just doing work; they are improving an existing system to fight against a pandemic, and to even be prepared for future events.

“All of what we are doing within GPHC and other regions is a huge quality-improvement process. There is no 100% way of doing things; as healthcare providers, we need to constantly analyse the systems, and say this is working and this is not,” said Dr. Persaud said.

While healthcare providers are doing their part to ensure that there are efficient systems and methods of treatment in place, the doctor seized the opportunity to encourage citizens to take all necessary precautions, and to adhere to existing measures in order to stay safe from the COVID-19 disease.

By adhering to the existing measures, persons will be doing their part in helping healthcare workers to help others.

“COVID-19 is real, and it is here! It is serious; persons have died, so we need to take it serious,” Dr. Persaud, noting that adherence to the measures will go a long way in ensuring that society stays healthy.

When asked if the current lifestyle changes and precautionary attitude will become a norm, even after the pandemic will have “withered away”, the doctor said the only way it will is if a public-health education programme is put in place.

He made the point that though one would have learnt about proper hygiene and good lifestyle choices from a young age, those invaluable lessons were soon forgotten as Mankind was never threatened in this way before.

He is, however, hopeful that persons will adopt those lessons at this time, and even continue it long into the future.