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Behind each patient infected with COVID-19 is a medical frontliner struggling to protect their community, family, and patients from the contagious disease that gave rise to this global crisis. Due to the millions of COVID-19 cases around the world, healthcare workers were overwhelmed with fear and exhaustion while performing their medical duties.
According to Mutahi Kagwe, the Cabinet Secretary for Health in Kenya, and Siddharth Chatterjee, the United Nations Resident Coordinator to Kenya, health workers were subjected to stressful and terrifying conditions due to inadequate protection, long working hours, and high risk of infection in their workplace (United Nations, 2020).
Since the beginning of the pandemic, medical frontliners have been sparing no expense to end this battle against COVID-19 which has already impacted several countries all over the world. As the Philippines continues to face this health crisis, healthcare workers experience different struggles in the frontlines.
As a daughter of two medical doctors, I witnessed firsthand how my parents treated patients and how their dedicated efforts exposed them to various sources of diseases. Through them, I proved how medical frontliners never fail to serve their country and fellowmen with determination and passion despite all the risks.
In early March last year, the Philippines was devastated when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country. I could do nothing but watch my parents arrive home every night, bearing a heavy heart due to exhaustion from the sudden additional workload.
The first several months of the pandemic were the most difficult, since the virus was still little understood. At this time, panic and anxiety are the major enemies, bringing endless dread to the people. Due to this, my parents constantly isolated themselves, since they were exposed to the virus on a daily basis. To slightly ease my burden, my mother shared to me how other health workers also opted not to return home in fear of infecting their families.
My father, an interventional cardiologist, shared his experiences while working in the hospital in this time of pandemic. According to him, the safety protocols that were abruptly and strictly implemented in hospital settings, such as donning of personal protective equipment (PPE) and thorough handwashing and disinfection, further added to the weariness experienced by medical frontliners. These difficulties affected their mental and physical well-being and were aggravated by the constant weight of fear, fatigue, and stress.
Just a few months ago, April 2021, the Philippines was faced with another sudden surge of cases, causing distress in communities. The local healthcare facilities struggled to accommodate the increase in COVID-19 cases. Due to the poor healthcare system, medical frontliners became more at risk of contracting the virus.
In these trying times, fear triggers a triage of worry and uncertainties. Despite the impending threat of the coronavirus, health workers still continue to uphold their duties in serving the country with dedication and commitment.
My mother always told me, “To be a doctor means to be an instrument of God’s healing. To receive gratitude upon successfully sending a patient—a father, mother, or a child—home to their families brings priceless joy that is irreplaceable.”
Let us show our support to our healthcare frontliners—all the nurses, doctors, paramedics, hospital staff and personnel, and all those who are frequently unrecognized—as we stand our ground amidst this global battle against COVID-19.
Written by Jillian Batilaran
Art by: Neon Ross
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