They are known as Covid warriors and for a very good reason.
One such healthcare worker who has been working non-stop to combat the coronavirus pandemic is Dr Eklavya Pradhan of the Umsohsun Urban Health Centre.
After only recently emerging from 10 days’ quarantine after testing positive for the virus, Dr Pradhan threw himself back into his work and came to the rescue of a distraught mother and her two children – their husband and father had only just succumbed to the disease.
It was on Sunday evening that Dr Pradhan was informed about the death of the man, a resident of Keating Road. The widow and their one-year-old daughter were also positive but their four-year-old son was not. The mother and children were at their residence.
The woman was distraught on learning of her husband’s death but, shockingly, relatives living in the same building refused to check up on her in person as they were afraid of catching the virus.
Dr Pradhan went over to Keating Road with local volunteers and the resident doctor and found that the residence was locked from the inside. Still the relatives refused to help and so the medical staff broke in and found the woman unconscious.
108 ambulance staff examined the widow while a bed was secured for her in Ganesh Das Hospital.
The 108 workers needed a helping hand to carry the patient on a stretcher from her upstairs residence. To this the in-laws also refused but Dr Pradhan did not spare a second thought and donned his PPE before helping out. He also found another touch of humanity by offering the four-year-old boy some friendly words and a packet of biscuits and was present with them until they were admitted to hospital just before midnight.
“This was a sight that showed how devoted and caring Dr Pradhan is towards people, not affected by whether they were positive or not,” a witness to the incident said. “He wasn’t related by blood but he showed through his example that we don’t need to be bonded by blood to care for people.”
When Highland Post spoke to the good doctor today, he was modest to a fault.
“I was tested positive earlier and stayed in quarantine for 10 days, so I know how hard it is for a person to stay the whole time isolated. I feel that it is very important that people don’t ignore or stigmatise anyone who tests positive for the virus but helps them in every possible way because anyone can catch it,” he said.
“If someone tests positive you can still talk to them from six feet away, give them motivation, and always ask them how you can help them and, if you have the capacity, buy them rations but don’t let them fight this virus alone in fear but let’s fight this virus together as humans,” he added.
If there is an emergency, and contact with a Covid patient is unavoidable, the doctor advised wearing double gloves, double or triple masks and taking a bath and washing clothes afterwards with disinfectant and to stay isolated for a week before being tested.
“When I saw the four-year-old innocent child that day who thought his mother was just sleeping it hit me. I thank the doctor in charge, the people of Keating Road and the Covid Care Management Team who were there with us, and my special thanks go to the person who was there from the neighbourhood that day whose name I don’t know but who willingly helped us and carry the stretcher down to the ambulance with us,” Dr Pradhan said.
The mother is currently recuperating and, finally, a member of the family stepped forward to help in looking after the children.
Pradhan also appealed to the public to get vaccinated and strictly follow all Covid-19 protocols and not to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary.
He also appealed to the public to get themselves tested if they have even the slightest symptoms, like a mild fever, so that, if positive, they can isolate and halt the spread of the virus. Those in a serious condition should reach out to their local accredited social health activist (ASHA) or call the Covid helpline on 14410.
