-Dr. Roshan Bhandari
"...I'm so sorry! We attempted to revive him for about thirty minutes without success.-I clearly recall counseling one of the patients' wives, who was waiting outside the COVID-ICU with the rest of the family at almost midnight after receiving the phone call on the patient's CPR after cardiac arrest. The patient had a severe COVID-19 infection and other co-morbidities, which required more than a week of mechanical breathing. During my early years as an ICU house officer, it was my first interaction with the death of Covid-19. As soon as I told someone of the patient's passing, the corridor erupted in tears and anguish. Someone very dear to them had passed away. I heard the patient's wife sobbing during the panic and saying something that still causes me to feel profound importance and regret every time I think about it: "How many times I had forewarned him not to go around in the crowd without a proper mask! We wouldn't be forced to endure this tragedy if he had carefully considered my comments. It should go without saying that saving a life with a straightforward and efficient preventative health care approach is more valuable than anything else!
According to World
Health Organization (WHO) data, the Covid-19 pandemic has killed more over
three million people globally and caused more than 100 million cases, making it
the worst disease outbreak in recorded history. Our mother earth continues to
be entwined under the wrath of nebulous challenges and chaos of this crisis
even as governments, international agencies, scientists, healthcare
professionals, essential workers, and every individual throughout the world
persistently struggle to combat the pandemic. However, just as a rainbow cannot
form without rain, the rain of this worldwide anxiety has provided the human
civilization with many of the century's most important lessons.
Although we always
hoped for stability, we were never fully ready for the reversal. We became
aware of the need to create early warning systems and maintain a stockpile
ready for a future disaster after the pandemic. The epidemic put our ability to
bounce back to the test. Anyhow, we succeeded in demonstrating our tenacity! We
had to stop doing our everyday chores, deal with hunger, and plunge into a sea
of sadness and loneliness. We did, however, completely utilize the reserve of
our innate resilience. The entire universe came to a stop. We deliberately
slowed down. We no longer traveled unless absolutely necessary, and many were
compelled to work from home. Nevertheless, we acknowledged the strength of
silence and seized the chance to take care of ourselves. We
learnt how to engage in things that the majority of us have always neglected
while juggling our hectic, modern schedules, such as yoga, indoor gardening,
reading, entertainment with good music, and so forth. We learned to coexist
with nature and understood that when the world gets smaller, nature still
allows us to live comfortably. Even after the world has stopped, nature is
still alive and well. We demonstrated that self-care goes beyond
self-indulgence and has many positive effects on us. It also teaches the next
generation that self-care is something to develop and sustain throughout one's
life.
As a result of a
variety of problems—financial crisis, loneliness, bereavement, etc.—we must
learn to consider mental health seriously. We discovered that mental and
physical wellness must always coexist. We must realize that our health is more
valuable than anything materialistic. Only when one is healthier does one get
wealthier! The adage "age is just a number" took on new significance
as a result of the pandemic! We should be focused on preventing chronic health
disorders by adopting a healthy lifestyle, including appropriate nutrition,
restorative sleep, physical activity, and a healthy weight, despite the fact
that age impacts one's risk of severe sickness with Covid-19. Changes
in lifestyle can enhance general health, which immediately lowers the chance of
Covid-19 illness's severity and fatality. Nowadays, deeper concerns are raised
about the straightforward but very successful areas of preventative public
health including correct mask use as effective tools, sanitization,
hand-washing, social seclusion, etc. Every day, we will need to fight as hard
for the advancement of healthy habits and awareness as we do for the
construction of high-tech hospitals and significant institutions.
During this pandemic,
we have sparked numerous medical revolutions, and we now need to learn how to
effectively adapt to them. While other medications are undergoing testing,
vaccinations have already begun to spread throughout many areas. There is no
question that we must recognize vaccines as effective tools in the fight
against this pandemic. Technology and community are both crucial. Technology
and the idea of digital health care have undergone revolutionary change. Thus,
the advantages of telemedicine ought to be beyond question. We must also take
into account the fact that some misconceptions and bogus conspiracy theories
that dominate digital platforms might be fatal, causing turmoil and unwarranted
anxiety among the general people. We should have recognized by now that
communities and families matter more than we realized while dealing with this
pandemic. Humans are brittle creatures, therefore being a part of a family and
community gives us strength. We have seen the devoted work and efforts of every
vital worker, including those engaged in global agriculture, healthcare,
grocery and supply delivery, and other industries. We should be extremely
grateful for the heroes' heroic efforts! We occasionally need to be reminded of
the value of kindness and love. We ought to be compassionate with one another.
On the other hand, we should not ignore the covid-19 pandemic's darker side,
which is "Wealth Inequality." Despite widespread
global advocacy efforts in this area, it cannot be denied that those with low
socioeconomic position are more likely to face major hazards from delayed
medical attention and interventions. As a doctor working at a tertiary care
facility in a developing country, I have repeatedly seen these deplorable
conditions myself and through other individuals. It is therefore imperative
that we acknowledge this truth and work together to address the core causes of
the gap. Only with our combined voices and efforts can it come to an end!
We learn from life
every day and keep learning new things. There is good in every evil, according
to an old proverb. To sum up, we should learn to live, love, care, respect, and
help from this terrible Covid-19 pandemic!
