Kathmandu. In the second wave, many people died prematurely from the more contagious coronavirus.
Hospitals across the country were flooded as infections of Delta and Delta Plus variants increased. Hundreds of lives were lost due to the lack of oxygen in the hospital beds. Health workers in hospitals had to treat the infected due to a lack of health supplies. While treating others, many became infected themselves. Some of them even lost their lives.
Health workers did not stop treating the citizens even when they were infected. Similarly, one of the doctors is Anil Pokharel. Presented, Drs. Pokhrel's experience suggestions:
I am working at Kathmandu Medical College (KMC) and Star Hospital. Having started my service as a General Physician, I am now a Kidney Disease Specialist. Although a kidney specialist, I became fully involved in the treatment of covid after the Corona epidemic.
In the first wave of Corona, I am working as the head of Covid at Star Hospital and now as the covid physician. I am also in charge of Kovid chief in KMC.
In the first wave, we had enough time to prepare for the treatment of the infected. At that time, the infection rate was also low. We gradually gained experience by treating the infected.
Panic levels were high in the early stages of the infection. Due to the same fear, the doctors and health workers could not be patient-friendly in the treatment. It was very difficult to treat the infected by trusting the staff.
The screams of the patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) are always disturbing. Only the sick can express their pain to us. The speechless patient gestures, 'Save me!'
I was scared myself, but I wasn't always scared. If we don't, who will do it? Gradually, the infrastructure for the treatment of the infected was also being prepared. Then, Homin became comfortable with the treatment with devotion.
In the second wave of sudden corona infection, the health infrastructure built in the first wave came into full use. As the infection spread rapidly, hospitals began to manage patients. ICUs, ventilators, coveted beds were all in dire need. Oxygen also became a shortage. When the treatment system itself became problematic, an unimaginable situation was created where many people lost their lives prematurely.
Difficult to increase one's self-confidence
The experience of the first wave had raised the morale of the health workers in the second wave and the fear had disappeared. We had also received the vaccine. Despite the infection, the chances of getting sick are very low now. This condition boosted the morale of the infected.
I myself became infected in the first wave. At first, there were no symptoms, but gradually the oxygen level decreased, pneumonia appeared in a few days. I wondered if he would die when he could hardly breathe. Then I had to take oxygen. I stayed in the hospital for 15 days and recovered.
After getting infected, I got to understand the pain of the infected people lying in the hospital bed. The situation was different when counseling others and having to stay in bed infected yourself. I used to advise the patients under my care to do this and that when there is a lack of oxygen. I tried my best to increase their self-confidence. Some days it was very difficult to increase one's self-confidence.
The screams of the patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) are always disturbing. Only the sick can express their pain to us. The speechless patient gestures, 'Save me!'
The doctor's responsibility is to save the patient. The patient's heart is heavier than 'save me'. At the request and gesture of the patient who could not be saved despite many attempts, he burns inside. Sometimes it makes me mentally deranged. When someone dies in the ICU, the reaction of other patients is no less tragic.
It is even more difficult to save an infected person who has reached the ventilator. Every effort is made to save, but many lives end on their own. In such a case, there is no alternative but to engage in the treatment of other patients by making a metal heart. Doctors around the world do just that. It is a pleasure to see a few patients coming out of the ventilator after recovering.
What lessons to learn from the second wave?
The second wave suffered heavy losses because no lessons were learned from the first wave of Corona. In the second wave, there was a shortage of beds in hospitals across the country due to a lack of preparation. Many died prematurely due to a lack of oxygen. That was the consequence of not providing the necessary health infrastructure and materials.
At present, the confidence of those involved in the treatment of corona infections has increased, but the necessary physical infrastructure has not been 'upgraded' as it should be. As the second wave, the third wave of infection is likely to be a serious problem.
It is very important to provide vaccination to all citizens to protect them from the third wave. The main way to prevent infection is to get vaccinated. Therefore, the government had to provide vaccines as soon as possible and the citizens had to get vaccinated.
