A unique Mother’s Day for healthcare workers under Coronavirus lockdown

In the face of a global pandemic, female doctors, nurses and healthcare workers leave their children at home to serve the country.

Some superheroes don’t wear capes. They just put on a protective gear, multiple layers of masks and hand gloves and say good bye to their families to brave the fight against COVID 19 pandemic. In the face of such adversities, female doctors, nurses and health workers leave their children at home to serve the country.

Rosemary Georgees, a nursing officer has been away from her family since a week. She says, “I have 2 kids at home and they really miss me a lot. I deal directly with corona patients so I can’t even go back home. We are staying at a hotel so that we don’t spread infection to our families.” However she believes her duty lies with the country. “If we don’t go to the hospital who will go? I do video calling daily with my kids. Sometimes they get emotional and plead me to come back. My daughter has her birthday this month and I won’t be there with her. I will miss my baby’s birthday.”

Being away from kids especially for a mother is difficult. But for nurses, this is a necessity. Tripti, nursing officer says, “We are putting up at a hotel away from families. We need to take care of patients first then think of our families. I have network issue here so can’t even video call my kids. It been so long I saw them.” For mothers day she wont be spending time with her kids but that doesn’t deter her determination to serve her patients. She says, “In my kids online class, they asked children to send greetings for mother’s day and my kids also made me some cards. They are dying to give it to me. Of course family is first but being a nurse that priority has to change to serving people. We force ourselves to gulp down our emotions and give our duty to the country.”

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Dr Melissa Rodrigues, MD respiratory medicine says that her kids have learnt to adapt to her going away long hours in the hospital. She says, “All the time I have this fear that I might carry something back home from the clinic. I take extra care. My kids want to give me a hug but I don’t allow them. I completely sanitize first. We have learnt to adapt to this.” She adds, “I just appreciate life and be grateful for being with family at this time. Kids have been heroes because they have been patient throughout all of this.”

Premshy Shyam Raj, lab technician who has been quarantining at home these days has been keeping a distance from her 13 year old daughter. “This is life we can’t do anything about it. I can always quit but I choose to serve the society. This is the new normal now. I take a lot of precautions and hardly get to interact with my kid. However she is very mature and understands our jobs and does all the work herself. My life’s purpose is my daughter but my duty to the country is important.”

Sneha Mathew, nursing officer says, “There is risk each time I step out of my house. We don’t not know who all might be having the infection because we meet a lot of patients. We take every precautions. I have a strong belief god will protect us. Whenever I come home, my kids would dance around me wanting to hug me but I have shoo them away, Its very painful.” Apart from having a motherly feeling, she says her duty is equally important. “My son said that he wants to gift me something on mother’s day and just listening to that melted my heart. This mother’s day is special because every nurses and doctors leave their kids at home and risk their lives to work. They are sacrificing a lot. This mother’s day should be dedicated to them.”

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And for Dr Manisha Arora, senior consultant, internal medicine, getting a hug from her daughter is all she craves for. She says, “Today, every patient is a suspect of COVID so there’s a lot of risk involved. If some of our patients test positive, we immediately shift them to the respective ward. Having to leave kids at home and going to hospital where there is risk involved is definitely a challenge for a woman. But my kids are very aware of the whole situation.” For mother’s day her daughter has planned something for her and just thinking of that makes her happy. “I always make my daughter why I go out and she understands. I always steal time to play with my daughter and do things I could not do before.”

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