PEOPLE IN PANDEMIC: AN INTERVIEW WITH Dr. ADITI KRISHNAMURTHY, MEDICAL DOCTOR AND COMMUNITY HEALTH SPECIALIST
The COVID-19 outbreak has completely changed our daily routine and regimen. It resulted in a catastrophic situation in our country which led to the nationwide Lockdown announced by Prime Minister Modi on 24th March 2020. While most of us were at home, quarantined and safe, there were doctors and healthcare workers out there fighting the Virus, full of grit and compassion.
Given the situation in India during the initial months of the outbreak, healthcare workers had to face the most grueling situation of all. Being out during the Lockdown and working to facilitate healthcare services is a strenuous task, given the fact that there is a risk of contracting the deadly virus.
To find out about how COVID-19 has affected one’s personal life and work, I conducted an online interview with Dr. Aditi Krishnamurthy, a medical doctor and a specialist in community health. Dr. Aditi works as a consultant in the Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka cell which is in the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services, Government of Karnataka. The Cell particularly focuses on the performance of Government hospitals. Dr. Aditi has previously worked in Non-governmental sectors on Tuberculosis, HIV, and other diseases in the communities.
Q: Firstly, how did the COVID-19 outbreak affect your personal life and also your work?
A: Going back to the initial days of COVID even in February, we were hearing several reports but we didn’t hit the Panic button so to speak. People around me in the healthcare department started to gear up to fight this Pandemic situation or rather trying to understand how we can handle them.
The initial reports were that it’s a bad version of the flu which is affecting the lungs. Initially, we didn’t give much attention to this as we thought it’s confined to China and it will soon blow over. We didn’t think that it would come to this. March was the time when we thought that we have to do something about this and all our hospitals needed to gear up to handle cases because Karnataka also started reporting several cases.
My work was with the call centers to assure the people that we have enough resources and send the correct information to the public so that we respond rather than react and Panic. You would have heard about 104 which is a call center working 24x7.
And also, during the lockdown, we had to give information to the public as to where to find food, whom they can complain to, etc. All those details were given to the call centers. My work was coordinating the call centers and reporting back to the Health Department.
Q: I also heard that you tested positive for COVID 19 and what kind of impact did that have on your life?
A: Till July things were going on and we were working every single day, even Saturdays and Sundays. But I also had a lot of elderly people at home so I had to be careful because I was meeting a lot of people.
During the lockdown the difficulties were with the food, then in May when the lockdown was lifted, we had to start doing other work because other health services were also suffering so we had to make sure that, that was also happening. So, there wasn’t too much work as such but consistently we needed to keep going so that the machinery would not break down.
In June-July we had beds under the BBMP in Bangalore. COVID-19 treatment was given in the public and private sector under the government quota and we had to make sure that people were getting these beds so another call center was set up and we were working with them. Now in July one of them in the call center tested positive and we had to take care of him.
So, if I came back home then everyone would be at risk so fortunately my Aunt’s house was available so that I could isolate myself there, I was isolated there for 2 weeks. We did the COVID-19 test there and fortunately, it came negative. After that I did not come home, I stayed there itself.
But around mid-September suddenly I was feeling ill and basically, I was very tired so I went to the nearby health center and I tested positive. I was in the hospital for three days. They did a lot of tests there and gave me the medicines that I require. Fortunately, it settled quickly and I could isolate myself for two weeks in my Aunt’s House.
When I tested positive, I had no idea where I got it from, because everybody in my office and house tested negative. And one month later five people at home also tested positive. My grandmother was very sick. She was 94 was saying that she felt very breathless, and we took her to the hospital and admitted her. She was doing well but she had a complication and she passed away.
It was not directly because of COVID-19, there were other reasons as well. She passed away four days after she tested positive. It affected all of us because we were all very close to her and all of us used to take care of her and we took comfort in the fact that she didn’t suffer too much.
The previous day I helped her shift to another hospital with the PPE [Personal Protective Equipment] and she was quite cheerful. In that case, it was helpful that I was a medical person because the hospital allowed me to have a chat with them and visit her also. And we miss her still. Fortunately, others in the family were well and settled without any fuss. But those few weeks were a little crazy because all of them had to isolate from my parents as they tested negative. But they were also at risk and they are above 60.
We had to protect them and also take care of others who tested positive. With some of my Doctor friends, I could take care of the situation. And of course, we also understood the importance of masks and hand hygiene and also to test when you have symptoms and even when you don’t have symptoms.
Q: Since you spoke about PPE Kit, I wanted to ask how is it being in a PPE?
A: Like I said that I am a medical doctor but I work in an office and I don’t handle patients but yes when my grandmother fell sick, for that one particular day I was in the PPE for about 5 hours or so. Yes, it is quite a challenge you know. It is tough, wearing it takes 10–15 minutes, and taking it off takes another 15 minutes and that’s half an hour there.
People can’t hear you properly when you are wearing a PPE and you can’t use your phone. I was only looking at one patient that was my grandmother and to be able to manage patients and coordinate with their family members is a huge challenge. I saw it when I was a patient myself, how difficult it was for them, and experiencing the PPE kit on the other end, I understood how tough it is.
Most of the doctors I met had already tested positive at some time and gotten back to work. And I also realized the fatigue after getting COVID stays for some time for some people and it makes it difficult to stand or walk around and get back to work.
Q: A lot of institutions and organizations are planning to reopen very soon. Being in the Healthcare sector, do you think it is feasible to revert back to normalcy with masks and other precautions?
A: I have been going to the office every day and there are quite a lot of us there in the Office but we do maintain distance, wear our masks, maintain hand hygiene and when there are fewer people it is easier to maintain that. One of the ways is to have alternate days schooling and but I am sure we will figure out a way to safely gather because earlier we didn’t have awareness or access to these masks or hand sanitizers but we do now.
Now I take the metro every day for work. It’s cleaned often and we sit in alternate seats. It is a safe way to travel. Gradually, I think we will need to get back to some level of pre-COVID normalcy keeping the precautions in mind. The good part is that they are checking temperatures at every metro station. That is something we can implement in all schools, colleges, and offices and make sure we have some way of protecting ourselves and others as well.
Q: A lot of people are becoming increasingly ignorant about the virus. As someone who has personally experienced COVID, what is your message to the people?
A: Always be careful till there is a definite cure or Vaccine. Even if you have got it before doesn’t mean you can’t get it again. And it does affect certain parts permanently for some people and there is no point in risking that. It is a very small measure to maintain physical distance and to wash hands and to wear a mask. And you wear a mask to protect others not just yourself. If I have the virus, I don’t want to give it to you so for that I should wear a mask and I would expect that other people also did the same.
The other bit of advice I would say is to support each other. When the five people at home tested positive, we needed to support them every day because it affects you mentally to be isolated. You need people to talk to you, to understand what you are going through. This is not just a physical illness; it affects you mentally as well and that kind of support is much required irrespective of how old you are or where you are.
