For this Kashmiri nurse, patients are a priority over family

Since the onset of pandemic, Shagufta Ara, a nurse from Srinagar, has been looking after Covid-19 positive pregnant women while assisting deliveries. Exposing herself to the virus everyday, Ara remains undeterred while leaving her family. She has assisted in the deliveries of over 100 babies born to Covid positive mothers till now.

Srinagar: As the nation grapples with the mighty second wave of COVID-19, health care workers have been bearing the brunt. Exposing themselves to the virus on a daily basis has been taking a toll on them. However, recovery of the patients and a grin on their faces is what keep them motivated.

Shagufta Ara, a nurse from Srinagar, is one such gritty nurse who has been helping pregnant woman infected with COVID-19 through various stages, right from counseling them to helping their deliver babies. A nurse for seven years now, Ara currently works at the neonatology department of the Government Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hospital.

"It is not easy to take care of pregnant women. We have to not only take care of them but also counsel them regarding the precautions to be taken. We have to make sure everything ends well," the 35 year old told ETV Bharat.

In the one-and-a-half year of the pandemic, she has assisted in the deliveries of over 100 babies born to COVID-positive mothers. "These days, normal deliveries are more common compared to caesarean. For us, normal deliveries of women tested positive for COVID-19 are more difficult to handle as we need to get in close contact with them. Despite the news of deaths everywhere, the feeling of helping a woman conceive her baby is the most satisfying," she said.

Ara said during emergency situations, she does not get time to wear a full PPE kit. However, interestingly, she has never contracted the virus.

Joining COVID-19 duty was a huge challenge for her and her family. “I remember on the first day of COVID duty, when I was about to leave home, my family members, including my two children, started crying,” she recalled.

“Earlier, we (frontline workers) used to stay at the government accommodation while on COVID duty. So, every time after finishing my 24-hour shift, I used to make a video call to my children. We used to cry for not being able to meet each other.”

Though Ara never got infected with the virus, her husband and father-in-law were tested positive."I am living with the guilt that my father-in-law and husband got infected because of me. I was the carrier of the virus. Though my family always supported me, this feeling never fade away. After finishing my shift at the hospital, I used to treat my family members at home," she said.

Despite all the crisis on the personal front, she never backed off from her professional duties.“Every time I am on duty, I only think of my patients and not about my family. Taking care of a patient has been the most satisfying thing in my life. My father-in-law, my husband and the rest of my family always encouraged me to reach out to the patients whenever needed," she said.

For Ara's husband Abid Ashraf too, the pandemic posed challenges. "I had to become the father and mother to my daughters in my wife's absence. They cry, they miss their mother. I have learnt a life lesson," Ashraf said.

Ara's father-in-law Mohammad Ashraf, a retired government employee, lauded her. "She is an ideal lady. I am proud of her. The way she has been professional throughout her career especially during a pandemic, I cannot ask for more," he said.