Kathmandu: Dr Ramesh Bhattarai is an anesthesiologist at Karnali Academy of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital (KAHS), in Jumla. In his six-year long career at the hospital, he had never faced anything as stressful and hectic as the pandemic. As for all frontline health workers, the pandemic has taken a toll on him, both physically and mentally, he says.
“We did not anticipate this much chaos,” he says, “The hospital was ill-prepared to tackle the pandemic. It did not have enough resources. Everything was unexpected.” And so the service has been relentless for the 37-year-old doctor.
The situation is under control right now, says Bhattarai, but things looked dreadful not long ago. “We have lost 4 people in this second wave,” he says, adding that the hospital has now managed enough resources to treat the patients. Also, the flow of patients has decreased noticeably, Bhattarai informs.
Even though the recorded human toll is slim, Bhattarai wonders if all the Covid patients in the district could make it to the hospital.
Jumla is a remote, mountainous district full of rugged terrain in the Karnali region. The road transportation network is scant. The KAHS is its most advanced medical facility which serves patients from not just the district but from across the whole province.
As the crisis has eased in the hospital, health workers from the Academy have travelled to various districts in the region to provide their assistance and utilize the resources the academy has. Their main goal is to provide treatment facilities to every individual in need, says Bhattarai.
When he sees many patients having a difficult time while being infected, he cannot help but think that it could be one of his family members in that very situation.
But still he reckons that there could be many people who lose their lives without being able to get any treatment. “Even if they somehow manage to reach the hospital, their condition is highly deteriorated by the time they arrive,” he says. This leaves the doctors with nothing much to do.
The doctors have been battling their personal tragedies as well. “Most of us workers here have lost someone close to us,” he says. Coming back to work and seeing other patients suffer from the same virus that took their close one’s life is not easy for any of them, Bhattarai adds. “Every time I get a call from my family [who live in Butwal], I am terrified if this is to inform me that someone is sick.”
When he sees many patients having a difficult time while being infected, he cannot help but think that it could be one of his family members in that very situation.
Bhattarai admits that a part of him wants to be at home with his parents, wife and daughter. But visiting his family is out of option at the moment. And so he puts on his brave face everyday and fulfills his duty because he believes that this is what he is meant to do. “I became a doctor to save lives,” he says, “I will do whatever is in my power to do so.”
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