Staff Reporter
Even as number of new COVID-19 positive cases continued to show an upward trend, the private hospitals in Dimapur such as Eden, Zion, Faith, CIHSR (Referral hospital), Nikos and Olive hospitals have been providing COVID health facilities.
While interacting with a surgeon with regard to the facilities at Faith hospital, Dr. Kitaka said that almost all private hospitals were taking up COVID cases.
Informing that they were assisting both COVID and non-COVID, Dr. Kitaka said that testing was also being carried out in the hospitals.
With regard to the availability of oxygen cylinders and ventilators, Dr. Kitaka said that altogether, the hospital had 70 oxygen cylinders, 33 type ‘D’ cylinders and 37 type ‘B’ cylinders.
At present, the hospital also has six ventilators. Initially, the hospital had 51 COVID beds but had recently reduced it to 41 COVID beds.
On supply of oxygen cylinders, Kitaka informed that earlier the hospital received the cylinders from the supply centre in Dimapur but due to technical problem, they could not avail the same.
The government has been assisting in providing the supply refilled cylinders since the last four days and at present there were 34 COVID patients in the hospital, he added.
It may be mentioned that there are more than 15 private hospitals in Dimapur.
Nurses share their challenges
Medical professionals have never been more important than they are today, especially the nurses who are the vital link between the patient and the rest of the health care team.
As the situation at COVID wards remain gloomy, nurses go a step further from their usual job and put more effort in creating cheerful environment for the patients and help in raising their morale to fight against COVID-19.
While speaking to Nagaland Post, some nurses shared the challenges they faced during this unprecedented crisis.
A nurse working for a government district hospital, who wished to remain anonymous, said that it was “extremely challenging to deal with elderly patients due to comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and other age-related issues”.
“We make sure that the patients are physically active for it helps them recover well,” she said.
The nurse also stressed on the mental health, which she said was the biggest challenge.
Maintaining that the magnitude of the second wave was more intense, she said that having witnessed her co-workers getting infected and patients succumbing to the infection, at times they “feel scared” but would have to put on a brave face and “keep going”.
A nurse from a private hospital, who also wished not to be named, said that their biggest fear was contracting the virus.
“We make sure to follow all the precautions such as hand hygiene, physical distancing and respiratory etiquettes, but there is constant fear of being infected and infecting our families, and I think it is only human to be apprehensive about it, even though we follow all precautions”, she shared.
She further added that going back home after her duty in the COVID-19 ward also added to the stress.