Nurses sacrifice in the era of Covid-19

Patrick Chitumba
“My mind keeps playing the different scenarios that can happen before this pandemic is over. What if I get infected? What if I make a mistake and infect my family?”

This is what Sister Estina Shara (44), a nurse at Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS) Clinic situated at Red Cross House, Harare has been going through since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic in March last year.

At times she said she didn’t feel like going to work but was motivated by the réalisation that patients have no one else to look after them but health workers. They can’t see their families and they can’t leave the hospital unless they get better.

The world commemorated International Nurses Day on Wednesday.

Nurses in private practice and those in Government health institutions all deserve to be honoured as they are Covid-19 heroes and heroines.

Sister Shara who is also a beautician said her love for her patients reinvigorates her on a daily basis.

“I have been with Red Cross for the past four and half years and the most challenging year was the previous one when we were hit by Covid-19. My family have been really supportive.

“They remind me that my job is a humanitarian service and they tell me to just go and pray for me. This gives me the positive reinforcement I need to leave the house,” she said.

Sister Shara said at times her patients are reluctant to take drugs but she has to encourage them.

“The outbreak of Covid- 19 has presented an immense challenge for hospitals and healthcare workers in the country and around the world but we have to soldier on as the frontline workers,” she said.

“There are days when we would attend to over 100 patients a day and that was scary, I tell you. Obviously, I am sometimes afraid of contracting the virus in the course of duty and I have to take extra caution.

“I wash my hands, get two pairs of latex gloves. Next, I wear a disposable cap. After that, I wear an N95 respirator, then a regular face mask on top of it. The N95 respirator holds my disposable cap in place. Then I wear the PPE gown.”

Health institutions are ramping up their response to the virus riding on Governments Covid-19 response which has improved the quality of the country’s healthcare system.

Several infrastructure developments were done at hospitals as well as the recruitment of more health personnel.

Zimbabwe Nurses Association president Mr Enock Dongo said International Nurses Day is important since nurses are at the forefront of fighting epidemics and pandemics.

He said nurses were the first line in giving people the health care they need.

“Nurses provide quality and respectful treatment and care. They are often the first and sometimes the only health professional that people see and the quality of their initial assessment, care and treatment is vital.

“We are happy that the Government when they started vaccinating the nation considered these people who are the front-line workers,” said Mr Dongo.

Without giving figures saying it will cause unnecessary panic, he said a lot of nurses contracted the virus with some testing negative while some succumbed to the pandemic.

“We won’t forget the loved ones we lost as we commemorate this day,” he said.

In a statement, ZRCS, said they are celebrating the dedicated nurses and other health care workers on the frontlines in the fight against Covid-19, whose efforts deserve to be recognised and commended.

In a statement, the Health Service Board (HSB) said as true warriors, nurses have demonstrated their heroism, gallantry and altruism that has seen the reduction in the country’s Covid-19 cases.

“We urge all nurses to remain resolute in the fight against pandemics, epidemics and all other diseases to ensure a healthy nation that will contribute meaningfully to the development of the country,” read the HSB statement.