Medical workers across the country are doing incredible work. From morning to night they take care of the sick and those who think they might be sick. In spite of the huge lack of protective materials, they collect samples from those who fear they have contracted the coronavirus on daily basis. And as if that wasn't enough, they often face aggression. All of them are under a lot of stress and starting to feel exhaustion. A medical worker from Bulovka, who's already depleted all her energy reserves, shared her feelings on a social network.
"We can't take much more of this. We don't sleep, we don't eat, I didn't have a chance to go to the toilet in ages. The phone keeps ringing almost continuously,"
Although she admits she is well aware that she chose to pursue this demanding career herself, she had no idea she would ever be so exhausted. Without an end in sight.
"Although various media keep repeating over and over that asymptomatic people shouldn't come in requesting swabs, we get like a billion of those. So, once again - if you have none or only mild symptoms, stay at home, drink plenty of fluids, take Paralen in case of fever and sleep it off. I don't understand the logic of people who are afraid they might have the coronavirus, yet they come to the one place where the virus is guaranteed to occur",
The worst thing is that patients are making up their symptoms so as to be examined. That is a serious offense to the doctor because, despite her sleep deficit, she is able to tell whether a person is sick or not. What's more, these people are wasting the time of healthcare professionals who could be attending to someone who really needs it, but also valuable medical material that we desperately lack. And these precious commodities, such as face masks, often get stolen!
"And I would also appreciate if people stopped yelling at me - on the phone as well as in person. I understand that this is a stressful situation for you, it is for me as well, but yelling is definitely not going to increase my work efficiency. Sure, you are upset with the government, you consider their measures too harsh/insufficient/poorly communicated, I get that, but remember that you're yelling at an innocent person here, who hadn't gotten any sleep in God knows how long, and who can influence the Prime Minister's decision about as much as tomorrow's weather in Sri Lanka,"