7. THE BATTLE CONTINUES!

The previous day was absolutely strenuous and tiring. Ruhi was deteriorating and that was bad news for us.
Visuals of her elder brother used to flash at times.
Once he got his piggy, entered by chamber and threw it in front of me, teary-eyed with folded hands-
“Take how much ever money you want! Do all possible treatment for her, I want her to be saved by all means.
Raksha Bandhan is around the corner, within a month. Every year we rejoice those days. Tantrums of her while tying for gifts were unparalleled. I don’t want to miss any of this.
Please, I beg of you!”
Those few lines literally took me back to the days when the entire world was struggling to save their dear ones.
Entire Nation.
Entire World was caged.
Cases were increasing rapidly day by day.
(Scene shifts to Pandemic year, 2020)
“Entire world has come to a standstill. Isn’t it Golu?
It has already been a month since the lockdown has been put into place.
I read in the news that the situation was worsening day by day in Seattle too.
How are things getting in there?” –
Misthi asked over a phone call.
It was already a fortnight since we last spoke. Our previous conversation was about lockdown and its happenings.
“Ha Mishti.
That conversation was rather deep and how people went crazy as they were restricted to four walls of the house.
They had actually lost it, as it was something out of the world thing they had experienced in their entire lifetime.
Now that the lockdown was announced and it has been a month already!”
Mishti replied, -
“2020 has thrown a lot of curveballs at us and work from home has destroyed our work-life balance and affected our mental health.
At the same time, it has brought us closer to our family members and colleagues.
We have all had unusual and funny one-time experiences during this house arrest.
People are getting more crazier day by day locked within their houses.
Memers and YouTube bloggers got more food for their content with various things.
Twitter trends were very funny!
• Lays ke bade packet main 31 chips hote hain: 6 bade wale + 20 normal + 5 tukda + baki chura
• Pankha off karne ke 1 min 6 sec baad rukta
• Maggie banne ko 4 min 42 sec lagte
• Mere bathroom main 113 tiles hain: 41 grey + 72 white #QuaratineLife
• There are 592 Aajaa in Aajaa Aajaa mei hu Pyaar Tera song.
There were weird trends on other social media too.
Black and white challenge. Dalagona challenge. #Untiltomorrow challenge. Saree challenges. Among various inexplicable things.
Amidst all the bizarre things people were up to, the only people who stepped out, away from their families, serving relentlessly, - COVID WARRIORS.
People were locked between four walls. They were
The struggle of health care professionals is unparalleled.
Doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other associated people were staying in hospitals and away from family and friends.
‘Spaceship-dressed’ health professionals visit wards, speaking behind their mask and shields, trying to keep their own social distance with the patient.
They kept telling to themselves, you miss the sun shining through the leaves, fresh air breezing through the face, sand in the shoes.
You miss your friends – hanging out with them, bone breaking hugs and the conversations and gossips. You miss the hustle and bustle.
I read a lengthy message from a long-lost friend which read, -
“The list of the sleep-deprived heroes includes doctors, nurses, medical cleaners, pathologists, paramedics, ambulance drivers, and health-care administrators.
We have seen all this while soldiers standing at borders with guns, rifles and all armed weapons.
They have fought tireless during the past in Kargil war and other circumstances.
They are still standing strong with heads up striving for the better future.
Since a month or so, in the fight against coronavirus, the brave medical army stands strong with thermometers, stethoscopes, and ventilators as their weapons.
Not to forget, medical researchers are working day in and night out against all odds, hoping to find the antidote to the disease.
While the entire nation has confined to four walls
We are indebted forever to the medical fraternity like you who have been striving hard continuously
We also should appreciate the chain of events happening which go unnoticed.
The struggle of migrating workers.
The struggle of farmers.
The struggle of people suffering for food on a day-to-day life.
The struggle of abandoned dog, cow, and other domestic animals.
Struggle was the rule of environment.
The atrocities humans were doing were role reversed now. With all probabilities. Humans locked. Nature sheltering animals and healing gradually.
Air pollution was under control. No traffic business it was all silence.
It definitely felt like Healing in process!
Remember Rohini, we spoke last month about her situation in Italy. We had a brief talk on the present scenario, back in Italy.”
(Scene shifts to Rohini speaking)
“Back in under graduation days, during our research, we read in an article that Italy has one of the best healthcare facilities in the entire world.
Lockdown was simultaneously imposed around the corner as in India. People were told to avoid gatherings, maintain social distancing of minimum of 6 feet, less crowd in public places in account for control of spread.
All economic activities were closed.
Be it gyms, restaurants, beauty centres, swimming pools and other recreational activities.
Since World War II, this was the first time the population was fronting a new situation like this.
A restriction on freedom of movement!
Economic and job crisis!
Uncertainties linked to the upsurge of COVID cases!
On March 27, 2020, Italy became the most affected country by the coronavirus spread in the world, counting more than 86.000 confirmed cases.
This huge number of patients who poured into hospitals put a strain on the limited means of the Italian national health system.
On April 1, 2020, there were 28.403 hospitalized of which 4035 in intensive care unit.
Healthcare workers were among the hardest hit by this event from both a working and psychological point of view.
This battle is going to be a long way.”
(Back to Golu-Mishti conversation)
“Indeed, it was so scary. The entire global healthcare was at bay.
While the lockdown is still in place, people seemed to have forgot the applauses and bouquets.
Appreciation and applause for a single day is enough and brutality on the very next day is acceptable?
A few days before, one of the hospital staff told us demoralizing news.
It was one of his friends back in his native was beaten black and blue when had extended help being Asha Karyakartas and just doing their bounden duty to create awareness within common people.
How could anyone loose humanitarian basis and treat other individual in such a way?
That is no way acceptable and satisfactory!
Paying salutations to doctors, nurses when we need them and treating them insignificant or knocking them out when they fail with no intention of harming their patients is never appropriate.
Hope people realise by the end of the tunnel that we are also humans, but working continuously for 48 hours.
Hence would drain us, exhaust us mentally and physically and decreasing the efficiency of treatment.
But, we in most cases are vigilant and have clear clarity about treatment protocol laid down to prevent transmission.
I also hope laws are made by the Government of India to protect and provide safety to health professionals in case of assault or abuse.
Wanting for a safe environment to practice is what I yearn for since the day I stepped into medicine.
I know why there is a smile on your face, Lol! Let’s have that conversation some other day. Ok bye. See you soon. Take care!”
(Scene shifts to present, 2030)
While I was thinking that Mishti was absolutely right. The world needs an overhaul on the healthcare system and its laws for safety.