Got vaccinated so I can work without fear: Kalyan hospital ward boy

VASANT GOVINDRAO KULKARNI, WARD BOY Forty-five-year old Vasant Govindrao Kulkarni, a ward boy at Rukminibai civic hospital, Kalyan, was infected with the virus in August and was admitted for 12 days

VASANT GOVINDRAO KULKARNI, WARD BOY

Vasant Govindrao Kulkarni, a ward boy at Rukminibai civic hospital, Kalyan, was infected with the virus in August and was admitted for 12 days. (Rishikesh Choudhary/HT photo)

Forty-five-year old Vasant Govindrao Kulkarni, a ward boy at Rukminibai civic hospital, Kalyan, was infected with the virus in August and was admitted for 12 days. He was one of the persons to get vaccinated on Saturday by the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation.

A resident of Badlapur, he travelled to Kalyan on a daily basis during the pandemic and had worked with the Covid-19 patients too. “I deal with casualties. It was a tough time when I got infected. I am happy that I got vaccinated so that I can do my work without fearing a second infection,” said Kulkarni.

PRADNYA TIKE AND PURUSHOTTAM TIKE, MEDICAL OFFICERS

Pradnya Tike, 52, medical officer, and her husband Purushottam Tike, 52, chief medical officer at Rukminibai hospital, Kalyan, worked with Covid-19 patients throughout the pandemic. Pradnya co-ordinated with the Holy Cross Covid Hospital in Kalyan. Purushottam worked with Covid patients at Rukminibai while their 23-year-old son also interned with Nair Hospital in Mumbai. She and her husband got vaccinated on the first day while her son will also get the vaccine soon.

“If today we are immunised, we can work fearlessly and deliver more during the pandemic. The idea of vaccination never worried us as vaccination is a form of prevention,” said Pradnya.

LAHU SHANKAR SHALANKE, 54, HEALTH WORKER

Lahu Shankar Shalanke, 54, a multipurpose health worker at Rukminibai civic hospital in Kalyan, travelled all the way from Shahapur to Kalyan throughout the pandemic to deal with Covid cases. He worked for the KDMC in tracing cases in Kalyan-Dombivli and then sent the patients to Covid centres.

“I am not infected so far but can catch the virus eventually. I don’t want to take a chance and then stay away from this work. We all health workers do our job responsibly and hence taking the vaccination is also our responsibility so that we can continue working for the people,” said Shalake.

SANGEETA KEDARE, 33, SANITATION WORKER

Sangeeta Kedare, 33, sanitation worker at Rosa Gardenia healthcare centre, Ghodbunder Road, has been working with TMC for almost a decade. But the last ten months were the most crucial. “I didn’t take a single day off during the lockdown and served at the Covid care centre with a smiling face. People were not in a positive state of mind but keeping them happy and motivated was important especially as they were in isolation and we were the only people they interacted with,” said Kedare.

She was keen to get vaccinated as she wanted to continue serving during the pandemic.

ATUL MUNDRA, 42, DOCTOR

Dr Atul Mundra, 42, from Anand Nagar health centre, tested positive while treating Covid patients in July. On Saturday, he got himself vaccinated at Rosa Gardenia – the same centre that declared him Covid positive a few months ago. “For five months since March, I was working continuously without a break. We used to be with the patients till midnight on some days. The most challenging phase was to examine the patients regularly and support them emotionally,” said Mundra.

As he is a diabetic, his family got worried for his health. However, he survived the pandemic and was back to work the very next day after completing the quarantine period.