I don’t want someone’s final moments to be spent in anxiety says Delhi doctor in viral post

Bengaluru, Apr 22: Doctors are going through a horrific scenario in hospitals that are filling up rapidly with COVID-19 patients.

In this backdrop, Dr. Saandhra Sebastin, a first year resident doctor from Delhi has narrated a horrific scenario that she has to endure everyday. Her account was published on the social media accounts of Humans of Bombay.

The doctor told Humans of Bombay, " I am first year resident doctor; the first death I ever witnessed was on March 30, 2021 a Covid patient was admitted into our ICU. He was critical, but since he was in his 40s, I thought he'd pull through. The next day, he succumbedI went numb. My seniors reassured me by saying, '2020 was much worse.' But 2021 has superseded 2020. Now, 5 critical patients come in every day; 2-3 of them die on a daily basis."

She also urged citizens to wear masks correctly and not crib about not being able to step out. "In the first week of April, a 22-year-old was admitted; he had to be intubated in the emergency ward. I never saw him conscioushis chances were bleak. His 50-year-old parents would ask me, 'Will he get better if we feed him fruits?' and then they'd say, 'Prayers can do miracles.' But when you're in the Covid ward, nothing works. On day 4, he passed away. His parents cried bitterly," she also said.

"Now, if somebody's critical, I update the family by saying things like, 'Pulse rate is dropping.' I'm at least not giving them false hope. And I've learnt to lie to my patients when they ask me, 'Will I be okay?,' I always tell them they'll get better. I don't want somebody's final moments to be spent in anxiety."

"In the past 2 weeks, I've witnessed the worst. The last words of one of my patients before being taken into the ICU was, 'I have a 11 and 4-year-old at home I want to live.' But a few hours later, I had to tell her kids that they wouldn't get to even see her body one last time. When the youngest one yelled, 'I want to hug Mumma,' I didn't know what to feel."

"Looking at all the dead bodies, I sometimes wish I'd never been born. My mental health has diminished. What keeps me going is that every day I'm out there, the chances of saving somebody's life increases. I'm working as hard as I can, knowing that the other healthcare workers would do the same if my parents were hospitalised they're in their 50s & stay in Kerala. I reassure them that things will get better. Still, I wonder, 'What if I get COVID? Who'll take care of my parents?" Dr Saandhra's parents live in Kerala.

"So, all I'm asking of you is to understand how bad it is out here and stay at home. Wear your masks correctly and don't crib about not being able to step out. IT'S A PRIVILEGE TO STAY AT HOMEPLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT," she said.