As people around the world grappled with a new and unknown virus at the height of the pandemic in early 2020, Dr Aarti Subramani, a first-year resident medic in the city found herself in the thick of things. It was unlike anything she had expected or experienced before. “I stepped into the Covid-19 ward in May 2020 as a fresher in the peak of the first wave with fear and chaos, as it was a department where most people were unwilling to work. Everyone was skeptical and so was I,” recounts Subramani, who describes it as a rollercoaster ride, which was not only challenging but equally exciting to be in. 

Without any waste of time, she acclimatised herself with the situation at hand, put her training to use, and got down to doing what she was meant to do. Getting through eight-hour shifts without food or hydration became the new normal, she says, as she found comfort and safety in the PPE suit, while dealing with an enemy that had already wreaked havoc around the globe.

“The real challenge was not just keeping the patient’s oxygen saturation in check but mine too. The risk and fear of contracting the virus while donning and doffing PPEs on a daily basis was something we eventually had to get used to,” the 26-year-old adds. It was only the start as her judgement was put to the test after the first wave, when she was shifted to the Emergency ward in the second wave. “It became extremely difficult to admit patients as there was a constant waiting list because the cases kept soaring and a call to channelise resources that maximised clinical outcomes, keeping humanity in mind was a difficult situation to face.” 

Most doctors have been to hell and back in this period but they have soldiered through it. For many, they have been saviours as their vocation requires them to deal with the worst to help cure people. Every year, India celebrates National Doctors' Day on July 1 to honour noted physician Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy. It is also celebrated to thank doctors who work tirelessly to make people well again. With the last one year having been one of the most dramatic ever experienced, Mid-day.com spoke to four doctors to understand how they dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic, what gave them hope, and their concerns about the third wave. 

Many doctors have shared accounts on social media about how the pandemic has taken a toll on their mental and physical health. The pandemic definitely took a toll on Subramani too but she isn’t the only one. Even older doctors have realised that they were dealing with a different kind of monster. This monster didn’t take expertise into account and simply made everyone who was stepping through the doors of a hospital feel like a novice and challenged them at every step of the way.

Even all the years of experience couldn’t prepare experts of the respiratory system for what they were about to face. Dr Radhika Banka, a consultant pulmonologist with P.D Hinduja and MRC, explains, “The sheer number of people affected, lack of scientific evidence in the early part of the pandemic, risk and scare of infecting family members, and the workload has been stressful. To see patients dying alone in COVID wards without their loved ones by their side has been very disheartening.”  

The doctor admits that even after a year and a half, the way the virus is mutating and the newer variants being discovered is adding to the fear and anxiety of experts.   

Ray of hope
However, there are others who are hopeful and have looked at the bright side of the hardships from the past year. It is probably what the virus failed to account for when it took over the world. These doctors who were risking their lives were armed with resilience, training, and families who were praying for them.

Dr Aditya Agrawal, pulmonologist with Bhatia Hospital has seen the brighter side of the challenging times. “The last one year has been very rewarding for academic medicine as we have learned that you have to be constantly learning, reading, and exchanging ideas to stay on top of things in our changing world,” he explains. “We actually learnt how to manage an entirely new medical condition within a year. Patient and family counseling has become a priority even more than before.”