Nurse raring to go back to frontline
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 01 2020: Recovered recently from COVID-19, 25-year-old Laishram Sandhyarani is convinced more than ever to continue serving as a nurse.

Like many other Manipuri nurses working in hospitals across the country, she was working at the Peerless Hospital at Sayar Complex, Kolkata risking her health and life and relentlessly performing her duty as a nurse amidst the global pandemic that has infected and claimed lakhs of lives.

Unfortunately, this lady nurse from Thoubal Khekman Mayai Leikai contracted COVID-19 on April 29 and she was admitted at the isolation ward of the Peerless Hospital for 17 days.

With improvement in her health, she was discharged from the hospital for further quarantine at a different location arranged by the hospital.

And finally on May 30, her swab sample tested negative for the virus and she recovered with a renewed determination to continue combat COVID-19 and serve patients like her.

"I'm more confident now, that I have chosen the right path.

We can beat this virus.

I'll continue to fight COVID-19 and serve patients as a nurse," she said over phone.

As for now, she will take take a break at home before she joins the hospital and perform her duty as a nurse.

When asked how she and her family coped when she tested positive for the virus, Sandhyarani said she was feeling stressed but kept herself 'busy' during the quarantine period.

The first few days were tense, she said and added that after her family, doctors and professionals gave counselling, she felt much better and confident, and thanked her colleagues and doctors at Peerless Hospital for giving her moral support.

"My grandmother is ill and we didn't inform her about my illness," said Sandhyarani who is planning to meet her grandmother when she comes back home and spend some time with her before she returns to the frontline again to fight COVID-19 .

"There are many hardships nurses face, but we are bound by our duty to serve and care patients.

Doctors and nurses should perform their duties with dedication, especially during a pandemic of this proportion," she said.

When asked why she chose to work in Kolkata instead of Manipur, Sandhyarani lamented that the nursing profession is looked down at by most people in Manipur and are considered "worthless".

And the salary the private hospitals give are very low compared to private hospitals outside Manipur, she said.

Many who couldn't go outside the State and couldn't get Government job after pursuing nursing courses are compelled to stay home with no work, she added.

Advising patients, who are undergoing treatment for COVID-19, she said they should strictly follow the advice of doctors and health experts.

They should drink plenty of hot water, gurgle frequently and do yoga twice a day.

They should keep their minds relaxed by watching TVs and listening to music, to cope with the stress, she said.

"Together we can definitely defeat this virus," she said advising people to maintain physical distancing.

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