Kashmir’s female healthcare workers at forefront of Covid-19 battle

At a time when the Covid-19 pandemic is harming health, social and economic well-being worldwide, women health workers are at the forefront of waging a war against the deadly virus.

The female doctors and health care workers have gone the extra mile to heal the Covid-19 patients in the Valley. For Dr Sadaqat Rehman, 56, a mother of a lone child, treating patients is something beyond one’s profession.

Sadaqat, who is also an assistant professor at the Institute of Health and Neuro-Sciences Kashmir, has dedicated herself to treating Covid-19 patients of Valley. Since the outbreak of Covid-19 last year, she has been continuously treating coronavirus-infected individuals non-stop.

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For her, humanity is more than being a doctor first. “Since March 2020, the workplace has now become my home as most of the time, we don’t get time to go back home. I think this is more important than anything else,” she says.

Sadaqat is not alone, there are many like her who share similar thoughts and have the same mission. Shabeena Rehmat, a nurse posted at tertiary-care SKIMS hospital in Srinagar, says over the last few months she and her other colleagues have been under constant exposure to Covid-19.

“At times it gets difficult to go home after being in Covid-19 wards, as we don’t want to jeopardize the health of our families too,” Rehmat said. “For us, the hospital is our home and patients are our family.”

The long working hours, incessant exposure to pathogens, and a disturbed social life couldn’t overturn her from the path she has chosen as a career. “Nurses are frontline workers and have equal contribution in fighting against the pandemic,” Rehmat adds.

A senior doctor Talat Jabeen says despite huge challenges posed by the Covid-19, medicos have never shown their back as they have chosen the profession to serve humanity. “It’s a part of our profession to deal with the Covid-19 patients. Whosoever is in the frontline has to face the problems to save the community,” she said.