Corona stigma dogging even the doctors and nurses

SK Singh *

Testing in progress in Churachandpur in June 2020 :: Pix - TSE

According to Oxford Dictionary, Stigma is “illegitimacy shame, disgrace, slur, taint...”. Some people stigmatize others for causing, allegedly, according to them, disgrace or something causing irreparable damage to character or for assassinating ones reputation.

In the context of health related situation like the one now being faced by these people, the ‘primary concern’ is arise from fear or apprehension of being infected. The fear about contacting a disease that too, of the dreadfulness of CORONA, is something very legitimate.

One cannot just ignore the inner feeling of picking up the virus, lest it would be spread around, because of someone’s presence in the proximity of ones habitat is something which cannot be brushed aside.

But, a big but, does this apprehension imamates from sheer ignorance or something over-jealous or something contemptuous? Human traits are complex and the reality is that we face this stigma now more than any time before.

Rapturous applause across the country greeted the Doctors and Nurses for their selfless service to the nation, in particular to the patients of this dreaded pandemic. We recall how people of Mao, the gateway to Manipur were so overshadowed with joy, a sense of triumph, when the Doctors and medical support staff of JNIMS succeeded in curing an ailing girl from this dreaded virus in the beginning days of the pandemic.

The Mao people presented these doctors with whatever vegetables they could lay hands on in their villages as a token of appreciation of the medical team.

Of late, however, the scale has turned side only to humble, even abuse, these so-called, ‘front line workers’, in the ugliest turn of events. After this applause, they face a new avatar of social stigma; one can name it, ‘corona stigma’, in their very neighborhood.

Live instances induce appreciating this new form of ‘prejudice, hatred...’. In Kolkata, a 30 year old woman who is part of National Institute of Cholera and Enteric diseases (NICRD) team which tests samples of corona virus, was told by her landlord in South Kolkata to leave the place. Through the intervention of her Institute, the land lord let her continue.

Only a week back, in a reputed private hospital in Kolkata, a 55 year old man died of COVID-19. Consequent upon this tragedy, 15 Nurses of this hospital were too not so lucky. Their land lord asked them to vacate their flat. Reason, they may spread the virus in the landlord’s family. Imagine the shock, a rude blow!

More shocking news is lying in wait. When the staff of the victim carried the dead body strictly following health guidelines to the Nimtolla crematorium for the last rites, the locals not only raised objections but physically hackled the medical staff. The Kolkata police and the Municipal Corporation had to be roped in.

Only recently in Kokrajahar of Assam, the locals vehemently denied cremation of a CORONA victim, that too on his own locality. The SP, his personal staff took the responsibility of the cremation, let alone any of the villagers coming forward.

This reminds me of the death of Dr Sailo, owner of a private hospital of repute, Bethany Hospital in Shillong even before lockdown measures were in state. Dr Sailo contacted the disease while he was outside his state, his hospital also didn’t treat any corona patient those days. He was denied burial in the crematorium in his local.

The Government of Meghalaya had to intervene, took to a far off place, deployed JCBs and the burial took place there. What an undignified way of passing away, where his own villagers denied place for the last rites. Do we human being deserve this treatment?

The issues are increasingly becoming complex. With rise of number of confirmed cases, new problems have surfaced about ensuring social acceptance of diagnosed Corona positive patients. A newly married woman in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district badly treated for her Corona-like symptoms.

In yet another case, a man committed suicide in Ankola in Maharashtra, after diagnosed with the infection. The man could not bear the burden of social stigma heaped on him by not only his neighbors, perhaps even from his family members. Similar cases of social sanctions are reportedly coming from other states too. The gravity could be larger as perhaps many such cases could not get media access for various reasons.

Worse still, are cases of antagonizing certain communities’ amass, even certain geographical areas, largely governed by ‘racial discrimination’ or ‘social prejudice’, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The GOI talks about causing fear, anxiety which could culminate into increased hostility, chaos or unnecessary social disruptions.

The issues are much more complex, more sensitive and perhaps more contagious. Recall how the NER people especially the women folk are treated, stigmatized for the simple reason that the girls, the men from this NER resemble more of Chinese than of mainland India.

And therefore they are carriers of this virus, this COVID-19. Their very presence around the cities, the towns across the country would cause spread of the pandemic and therefore these communities should be banned from staying around, across the mainland.

How impossible is this conjecture? The GOI’s advisory on the issue is rather mild, soft and avoids direct discussion and even condemnation of the several incidents of racial discrimination happening around the major cities.

Our daughters and sons who are striving for a living, a right they inherit being a citizen of the country, who help in increasing the GDP of the country, are denied basic elementary right and more so the dignity of being a citizen, a native of the country. The matter is intricate and calls for more proactive intervention at the central level.

The GOM too should follow up with the MHA in a comprehensive manner where all the records of the several incidents are collected, collated and analyzed.

Solution is not sighted readily, but an awareness of the degree of discrimination, more heinously, the racial abuse heaped on the NER should be brought to the notice of the Centre more focused.