National Doctors’ Day: Young doctors in Vizag recount their experiences as Covid warriors

This pandemic has changed the lives of many people. Several people lost their loved ones, due to the life-threatening coronavirus. Those who survived will remain forever grateful to the doctors, who worked day and night selflessly. The headstrong army of the Corona warriors attended to the health requirements without any discrimination. On this Doctors’ Day, Yo! Vizag brings you a glimpse of the pandemic lives of the city’s medical students, our future doctors. These young brave hearts from Vizag have worked tirelessly round the clock every day to serve the patients in their hour of need, upholding the high principles for the coming generations of doctors. These youngsters are an example of how the medical fraternity stands up to their commitment even before finishing their respective education.

For Jitendra Reddy, a final year medical student of Andhra Medical College, each day began by wearing the armor of PPE kits, before attending to the patients. He recalls working under arduous conditions, where he saw people fighting against the Covid-19 virus. Serving the patients was his first and foremost obligation. When the common people were in haywire due to the afflicted virus, Jitendra didn’t shirk from his duty and continued to help them. “A patient getting discharged with a content smile is the best gift we could get being a part of corona warriors, ” he explains. Difficulties still stood ahead for Jitendra, despite being a healthcare worker during the pandemic, as he too lost his loved one.“I experienced the worst day of my life when I lost my grandmother due to Covid-19 and I couldn’t save her. We lost her before we could take her to the hospital,” he recollects.

“It’s been a year since I went home after this pandemic,” says Soumya, a final-year gynecology student at the Andhra Medical University. Soumya shares that she was herself affected by the virus during the second wave while working in the Covid-19 duties. However, she came back even stronger and more determined. There were days for Soumya when she had to attend six to seven deliveries, at a stretch, for Covid positive mothers wearing PPE kits. The harsh environment inside the PPE kits didn’t dwindle Soumya’s dedication towards her patients. “For us, losing the life of a pregnant woman due to Covid-19 felt like a painful failure,” Soumya adds as she shares her experiences of working in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Serving for Covid-19 duties while staying in a hostel, Bala Murugan, a second-year Pulmonology student had a tough time witnessing young people getting affected by the Covid-19 virus, especially their deaths. “We had sleepless nights, nightmares about losing lives back at the hospital. We would turn up at the hospital with hope and positivity the following day, to save the lives of patients,” he says. He continues to recall the terrifying scenarios he came across during the second wave of the pandemic. A surge of patients had depressed Murugan, keeping his feelings aside, he continued to help the patients, and now champions their survival stories.

When Krishna Sharat, a dentist, was assigned to join Covid-19 duty, he agreed quickly. It was an opportunity for him as he had the power to help in the hour of need. “At the time when I joined, the hospital was flooded with cases. Young people were losing their lives. There were times when a patient succumbed in the ambulance itself,” says SV Krishna Sharat. Witnessing the disastrous situations during the pandemic, he requests people to be responsible and stay home even though the lockdown situation returns to normal.

“I was part of treating the Covid-19 patients at VIMS during the second wave of the pandemic. I witnessed several deaths with critical lifelines at the ICU,” says Prema Swaroop, a final year general medical student. He woke up every day to hundreds of messages flooding with the reports of patients coming in critical conditions. Swaroop was later tested positive and had to be quarantined for 14 days. “Even the quarantine days were hard for me as I could not rest knowing that there were several patients outside who needed my help”, Swaroop adds.

With their experiences, these medical students from Vizag, the future batch of doctors, continue to handle the pandemic with brave hearts. Their tales are a sign of bravery with which the youth of India fights against the pandemic. The war against the Covid-19 pandemic might be terrifying, but the testimonies of the young Corona Warriors are proof of hope and positivity that shines through the darkness of Covid-19.