Nursing staff at GTB Hospital double up as human couriers

GTB hospital is Delhi’s second-largest Covid hospital. The biggest exclusive coronavirus treatment facility is Lok Nayak hospital in Central Delhi with 2,000 beds.

Until May 29 afternoon, when the government designated East Delhi’s 1,500-bedded Guru Teg Bahadur(GTB) hospital as a fully Covid facility, Aakash Sharma worked at its emergency department as a nursing orderly. His colleague Sarita Yadav was posted at the gynaecology ward.

A nursing orderly who also acts as a ‘courier’ at GTB hospital. (HT photo)

Now that the hospital is treating only Covid-19 cases, Sharma and Yadav are now doubling as human couriers to help relatives of patients deliver their messages and personal items.

Due to poor mobile phone connectivity in some parts of the building and a ban on the entry of non-medical employees inside wards, these couriers are very much in demand among relatives of Covid patients.

GTB hospital is Delhi’s second-largest Covid hospital. The biggest exclusive coronavirus treatment facility is Lok Nayak hospital in Central Delhi with 2,000 beds.

As the hospital is admitting only Covid patients, at least 10 nursing orderlies earlier with outpatient departments, surgery and other units are now working as messengers.

Working in 8-9 hour shifts, Sharma and Yadav sit behind the police barricades along with security guards, waiting to receive messages or items from the relatives of patients.

Wrapped in sanitised polythene bags with names of patients and ward number neatly written in bold and upper case, the packets they deliver could be a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, a handwritten note, an extra set of clothes, a prayer book, a religious thread or a bottle of hair oil.

While most patients have mobile phones, there are some -- elderly or critically ill -- who do not or cannot use one because of their medical condition. They rely on people such as Sharma and Yadav to pass on their messages. ‘

According to the health department, there were 265 Covid patients at the hospital on Wednesday.

Explaining how they work, Sharma said, “We wait at least 30 minutes to collect a bunch of items to be taken inside. We ask the relatives to write the name of the patient on the packet. Our job is to take it inside. We are proud of our jobs during this pandemic. The relatives thank us when they get a confirmation from the patient that the items have been delivered.”

Sharma has delivered everything from medical papers to spectacles to prayer books and mobile phones.

Outside the Blood Transfusion Centre building, which leads to the hospital’s isolation wards, the hospital’s security has placed four barricades of Delhi Police. There are around 250 patients inside. Rajinder Singh, a security supervisor at the gate, and his men stop every relative from crossing the barricades.

“We explain that even they will be at a risk if they go inside. They all want to go in. Some are rude and argue. We ask them to hand over the items to designated employees. These people are standing here with us in this hot sun only to help the relatives. The package will definitely reach the patient,” Singh said.

On Wednesday morning, Dheeraj Kumar, 21, had gone to the hospital with a bottle of hair oil for his mother. “My mother uses this specific hair oil every morning. It is part of her routine. She could not get it in the hospital. I told her over the phone I have got it. She was happy,” Kumar said while handing over the packet to Yadav over a layer of police barricades, which ensures social distancing.

Another relative, Harjit Singh, stood behind Kumar with a cell phone charger. Singh was worried when his mother’s phone was switched off. She was admitted to the facility on Monday. “I called the hospital’s helpline number and they confirmed that she was fine. But they could not connect me to her. I came to the hospital on Tuesday and was told by an employee (Sharma’s colleague also working as a courier), that my mother had forgotten her phone charger. I will hand this (cell phone charger) over to them. It will reach her in half an hour, and I can still stay connected with her,” Harjit said.

Medical director Dr Sunil Kumar said they want to ensure patients and relatives do not face any harassment. “We cannot allow anyone from outside inside the wards. Our nursing orderlies across all wards are there to help. People should understand and cooperate,” he said.

Though the hospital has allowed all patients to use phones, at least three relatives HT spoke to said connectivity in the upper floors was a problem, making it almost impossible to speak to the patients or doctors.

Anuj Singh, a guest teacher at the government school in Chandni Chowk, said it was difficult to get an update from the doctors about her husband’s health. She said, “My husband told me over the phone that his oxygen level dropped rapidly. I have come here but they are not allowing me inside. I want to speak to the doctors but I am not able to get in touch with them.”

Dr Sunil Kumar said they have started a facility for patients to get regular updates from the hospital. “Our doctors work in shifts. It may not be possible for doctors to take every call and respond to the patients. It is also not practical to let all relatives inside the wards. There is a dedicated command centre that has information about every patient. The command centre’s phone number is pasted across the hospital. Our doctors send information to the centre. Relatives can just call up the centre to find out what the doctor has advised. Apart from this, there is another number to know real-time health updates about patients.”

The 24*7 helpline for information related to patients at GTB hospital is 9625900550.