International Nurses Day: Always at the frontline, always heroes

Our Correspondent
Kohima, May 12 (EMN): On the occasion of International Nurses Day on May 12, nurses in Nagaland have expressed their zeal to serve the people in dire need, despite facing various challenges, with the most immediate being presented by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Imtinaro, who is an ANM nurse under National Health Mission posted currently at Moayimti sub-centre under Tsurangkong range in Mokokchung district, expressed her commitment to serve patients.

She shared that she goes to the hospital at 8 am from Monday to Saturday (except on second and fourth Saturdays). However, the nurses are available 24×7 for any emergency cases.

Imtinaro stated that the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic has not made any difference as she continues to look after patients. “Whether there is pandemic or not, we are meant to give our service to the public,” she said.

Despite the challenges, she expressed happiness in serving people. She also shared an incident wherein she had to go and check the health condition of a local youth who had returned from Delhi to his village last month.

Imtinaro stated that the villagers were complaining about the youth even though his family maintained that he had completed his 14 days of quarantine.

In such a situation, she performed her duty as assigned by the doctors, to visit the youth; she not only checked his health condition but also offered him counselling.

Veronica Suohu, another nurse, who is a community health officer by designation and currently serving at Kitsubozou sub-centre in Kohima town, shared that she has not faced any problem at her present posting.

She shared that unlike her, fellow colleagues who are posted in other places are undergoing a ‘hectic time.’

Suohu said that through the experiences shared by her friends, she is also learning. She expressed concern that many healthcare institutions, either in government or in private sectors, ‘recruit nurses just for their service’. Besides the meagre salary, she said, ‘nothing is provided to them’.

Suohu emphasised that regular classes for the staff need to be conducted in order to keep their knowledge updated. “This is one aspect where we are lagging far behind other states and countries,” she said. She shared that such kind of classes would empower the nurses, which would in turn lead to better nursing care.

Rebek Khongsai, another community health officer temporarily posted under CMO Dimapur district and currently deployed for Covid-19 duty, has been reporting at the Dimapur District Sports Complex (DDSC) stadium from 5 am onwards to handle cases related to quarantined and stranded people.

She informed that on reaching the stadium, the staff conduct medical fitness test or monitor travel history of the stranded people before sending them home to their respective districts.

She updated that most of the stranded people include students, patients and their attendants, and even a number of newborn babies. “The work we do is almost 12 hours a day; sometimes we use to skip food also. It’s very hectic,” she shared.

Khongsai expressed sadness that despite handling such a challenging task, the salaries of the staff have been delayed ‘and they try to manage with the amounts they receive through dearness allowance from the district surveillance team’.

Nevertheless, the senior nurse shared that she will carry on rendering her service. “Since everyone is having problem, right now we are trying to adjust happily with everything we receive without compromising and do our job,” she added.

“When we see the people stranded, when we see people walking here and there with confusion, we feel so hurt,” she said while stating that they are trying their best to serve those in need.