Healthcare workers in the country have been working tirelessly around the clock to save as many lives as possible in the ongoing battle against Covid-19.
Since the first case was reported in Malaysia on Jan 25 last year, the disease has infected more than 400,000 nationwide, as per the Ministry of Health’s Covid-19 statistics on Wednesday.
With the country recording four-digit cases daily recently, there is no doubt that the nation needs its healthcare personnel to be at their utmost best.
New Sarawak Tribune reached out to some nurses from the public and private sectors for their experiences in dealing with the pandemic.
Ain Nur Safira has been a staff nurse for 17 years, and the pandemic has undoubtedly changed her normal routine.
“Before Covid-19, we never stopped anyone from entering the health premises. Things are different now with compulsory screenings at the triage section and mandatory QR code scan via MySejahtera app.
“At first, it was very disorganised and caused overcrowding, especially at the clinic entrance.
“Alhamdulillah, things have improved ever since.”
She added that being a frontliner exposed her to the risk of being infected.
With her family in mind, she admitted that she has a fear of putting them at risk at home, but Ain has since accepted it as part of her duties and prays that she will always be protected.
Ain, who is also on duty in one of the quarantine centres, shared that she faced many challenges throughout the pandemic, including individuals who will persistently enquire about their test results and requests upon requests from individuals to be released as soon as possible.
“We also have individuals who were stressed being in their rooms alone, which required us to reassure them.
“Don’t get me started on personal protective equipment (PPE) which we have to don throughout our shifts.
“It gets hot, and we will be thirsty and hungry. Most of the time, we have to hold our bathroom urges to avoid wastage of PPE.”
Sya Muhammad, who graduated in 2019, has been working as a staff nurse in the critical care unit.
“Before Covid-19, I was able to go around in my uniform, but things have changed ever since.
“I have to work in a multi-layered gown to limit the transmission of the virus.”
Reflecting on her experiences dealing with Covid-19 positive patients, she described that while she had patients who eventually got better, some needed ventilators, which took a toll on her.
“For me, it was the guilt of not being able to provide the optimum care that the patients needed as I had to minimise my interaction with them to prevent myself from contracting the virus and from spreading it to our loved ones.
“Sometimes I would feel their anxieties, being separated from their loved ones and not knowing when they will get to see them again.
“However, I have learned not to let my emotions hinder me from giving the best care to my patients and despite not being able to feel their agony, I am here to alleviate their pain.”
Opening up on her challenges during the pandemic, she pointed out that dealing with family members of the patients was one of them.
“Most hospitals nowadays impose a limit of one to no visitors. The majority of the family members will ring us constantly to ask for the patients’ updates.
“There were times when we have very little information to update them as it is an advancing new virus.”
Fellow nurse, Steff Cheng, shared the same sentiments.
“Wearing PPE is a must, especially when dealing with Covid-19 patients. Despite it being uncomfortably hot, it is the only barrier of protection.
“We are nurses. We use the PPE and we take care of the patients. However, there’s always a chance that we will get infected.
“While I observed that most people use their masks, some chose to ignore this. Certain members of the public used their mask to cover their mouths, not their noses, which is incorrect.
“I hope that the public practice the proper SOPs. Kita jaga kita.”
