HT Salutes: Veteran of 2009 viral pandemic back at it

HT Salutes: In the fight against the contagious Covid-19, public servants have been working round the clock, sometimes even breaking the clock, to keep the wheels of the government moving. Here, we take a look at those knocking on doors, serving the underprivileged, ensuring everyone has a mask, and even readying a hospital.

Dr Ravinder Kumar of Lok Nayak hospital is one of the lucky few from the hospital who gets to go home, but it is hardly without worry. He lives 15 km away in Shalimar Bagh and, as he leaves, calls his wife.

When the hospital was starting to convert its facilities block by block into Covid-19 isolation wards, Dr Ravinder Kumar and his team were working at least two shifts a day. (HT Photo)

“She keeps the door open and the geyser on. In the ante room I have a box. I put my wallet, mobile phone, watch, and anything else in it. From there, I directly go to take a shower,” he said. After that, he cleans his phone. He is not off duty yet.

“I am on my phone all the time. This is a big hospital and something or the other keeps happening,” he said. It is his job to ensure that the hospital gets adequate beds, ventilators and the gas pipeline to run them.

When the hospital was starting to convert its facilities block by block into Covid-19 isolation wards, his team and he were working at least two shifts a day.

“We tell people to follow all precautions – wash their hands, wear masks at all times, properly use a personal protection equipment kit when taking care of the patients. We did this at the time of H1N1 in 2009 too, but as far as I remember the symptoms were milder. More patients are experiencing breathing difficulties with this infection,” he said.