Durban - Frontline workers at Ahmed Al-Kadi Private Hospital share their roles in helping fight the pandemic.
Name: Shakeera Asmal
Occupation: Unit Manager
Years in profession: 17
Years at Ahmed Al-Kadi Private Hospital: 6
AT THE moment, I basically live for Covid. That may sound strange but it’s true. The department I work for is 100% involved in this pandemic. The fear has never left me. I have been working for 10 to 11 hours a day, including weekends.
As a manager, I had to rethink the structure of everyone’s work day, outline goals, one day at a time and acknowledge small wins along the way. Wearing a mask, double gloves, cap, gown, visor and overshoes is definitely challenging. The undressing phase is delicate. You are terrified of not doing it in the right order. That fear stays with you throughout the day.
I cannot put into words how much I have learnt from this experience. As we continue to work selflessly to provide care for our patients, we have been overwhelmed by the support from family and friends, neighbours and strangers, local businesses and organisations. Your donations of personal protective equipment, supplies, meals and more are a daily reminder of the generosity inherent in our community.
It has been difficult, and it has really defied belief, to see how our community could come together and pull off what we are doing, I am very proud.
Name: Rosantha Chittigadu
Occupation: Clinical technologist
Years in profession: 9
Years at Ahmed Al-Kadi Private Hospital: 4
My job entails ensuring that all the medical equipment in the hospital is functioning optimally and is ready for use. During the pandemic, this life-saving equipment became even more valuable and scarce. Trying to ensure the equipment was available for use has been a challenge due to the sheer number of patients needing it.
My role became one of clinical support to all the units. This meant I spent more time with the patients than usual, forming bonds with many of them. Losing many of the patients is heartbreaking and it has been the hardest to process.
Even though this has been the darkest period in my career in healthcare, I have been touched by the generosity of the community. Various organisations and private individuals stepped up to provide the lifesaving equipment needed — for example, the Gift of the Givers Foundation and the Caring Sisters Network.
To all my fellow nurses and health-care workers, thank you for your tireless efforts to try to save every life we can. This pandemic has shown the courage and resilience of our health-care workers. Even though some situations seem hopeless, we have stuck together, motivating each other and lifting each other’s spirits when we thought we could not carry on. To all our colleagues we lost in this fight, thank you for your service and may you rest in peace.
Name: Prabha Lakshman
Occupation: Infection prevention practitioner (IPP, 3 years)
Years in profession: 27 (nursing)
Years at Ahmed Al-Kadi Private Hospital: 7 months (as an IPP practitioner)
My role as an infection prevention practitioner is in the capacity as custodian of managing the hospital’s protocols to contain the spread of viruses, infections, etc, and it includes the Covid virus. I carry this function out by supporting the multidisciplinary team through ensuring proper usage of PPE (protective gear), as well as the correct donning (putting on) and doffing (taking off) of PPE. This is of utmost importance to prevent health-care workers from contaminating themselves.
Another area I focus on is ensuring staff understand proper protocols regarding quarantine and isolation should they become infected. In respect of our patients, my role is to ensure Covid-positive patients, patients under investigation, and Covid-negative patients are nursed separately to prevent the spread of the virus or contamination
This pandemic has been an extraordinary experience for me in my line of work, challenging me to my fullest capabilities even with my years of experience in the field of infection prevention. It has been a roller-coaster ride. Everything I have studied and lectured to my students was instrumental in helping me understand this unknown virus and its variants.
Covid has taught me that life is too short, valuable and that we should treasure and cherish everyone in our lives. I thank God for giving me the strength to impart my knowledge and expertise to my patients, the staff and the multidisciplinary team at the hospital, in an effort to maintain best practice of infection prevention at all times.
Name: Shireen Brijlal
Occupation: Manager at Tsebo Cleaning Services
Years in profession: 26
Years at Ahmed Al-Kadi Private Hospital: 4
Being a Tsebo manager has had many challenges during the pandemic. Ensuring environmental cleaning is of the utmost importance to my patients and staff. My team and I had to ensure that we implemented more stringent and frequent cleaning during the Covid phase, which ensured patient safety during their stay.
It has been a difficult journey as I had to ensure the safety of my staff as well, by making sure they were properly attired. My biggest fear is making sure my family is safe as I have worked in a Covid environment daily.
Name: Ferriel Moodley
Occupation: Reception supervisor
Years in profession: 3
Years at Ahmed Al-Kadi Private Hospital: 17 months
Being in my position during this pandemic has been an emotional roller-coaster. Trying to maintain order and provide reassurance to staff and patients has been challenging during this unpredictable time. However, we had to continue working with positivity in an attempt to give hope to others.
It was difficult to explain to patients battling to breathe that we were at full capacity. The calls of desperation from family members pleading for us to help their loved ones left the staff feeling helpless and depressed. Thankfully, the initiative of starting a tent facility to treat some Covid patients outside the hospital had eased that burden.
Another challenge was discussing financial obligations with patients, knowing that finances are the last thing on their minds. Yet, it was a harsh reality.
When staff members contracted the virus during the peak of the pandemic, the remaining staff endured additional stress and anxiety. They worried if they were next and if their colleagues would make it. As much as the staff feared for their lives and taking the virus home, this did not stop them from maintaining excellent service delivery and for that I will always remain a proud member of the reception team.
Covid has humbled us as a team. We have learnt the importance of making memories and making each day count but, most importantly, treasuring the relationships we have — not just with each other but with our patients. Although reception staff don’t do direct nursing of patients, it has been an honour to have made a difference and lent a helping hand in the midst of the pandemic.
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