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UP lab staffer says duty above personal life
Ritesh Raj Mishra, a lab technician at a community health centre, could only meet his wife, Neha, on her birthday for all of five minutes. He has been living at
Ritesh Raj Mishra, a lab technician at a community health centre, could only meet his wife, Neha, on her birthday for all of five minutes. He has been living at a quarantine centre in a city hotel, and she has been at her parents’ house. He met her at their doorstep and left within minutes.
“I couldn’t even give her a gift,” Mishra said.
For several weeks now, Mishra, has been collecting samples of suspected Covid-19 patients in the lab he works at. He knows the risk associated with his job, and that he may also contract the infection, but has no regrets. He feels it is a part of his duty emerging out of an extraordinary situation.
A laboratory technician at the Urban Community Health Centre in Baloo Adda here, Ritesh said it was a manner of national duty. His eating habits too have been impacted by the hectic schedule at the centre.
“There is no fixed time for lunch and dinner. I eat lunch as late as 4pm and dinner well past midnight,” he said.
On April 13, Ritesh and his team had to go to Kasaibada locality to collect samples of 117 people. “We started working at 4pm and continued till 10.30 pm. Precautions had to be taken so that no one in the team got infected, he said. The area had earlier been declared a containment zone.
“When the administration, police, doctors and paramedical staff are working 24x7, you don’t feel hungry or thirsty amid the pressure of work,” he said.
Ritesh said he and his team work tirelessly, without fear, day and night. “I draw a lot of inspiration from my team members and seniors and I am confident that we will be able to defeat Covid-19,” he said.
“There is always a risk, but we take precautions to ensure we don’t get infected,” the 28-year-old said.
Talking about his routine, he said, “The in-charge of the chief medical officer’s control room prepares a list of patients whose samples have to be collected. Accordingly, I ensure that we have personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, N95 masks, gloves, sanitiser, tape, markers, bags to collect bio-waste, swab kits, etc. Collecting samples over the past few weeks has been hectic, because the number of Covid-19 cases has increased.”
