Frontline healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients must wear layers of personal protective equipment, PPE, to ensure their health and safety. Alumna Dr Afshan Akhtar* is one of the many volunteers at the Field Isolation Centre in Karachi: a massive facility consisting of 3 halls providing temporary accommodation to hundreds of COVID-19 patients during their isolation period.
Each hall contains a red zone that volunteers can only enter after covering themselves from head to toe i
Afshan (left) before taking the lift into the red zone.
n layers of heavy PPE. This includes a special N-95 mask and goggles that made Dr Akhtar feel like she was donning a spacesuit for protection. This is her account** of her first day in the 'red zone' as she grew accustomed to the precautions needed while assisting COVID patients with their mental health:
“I was excited beyond measure on my first day at the Field Isolation Centre in Karachi. Here was my chance to use my skills as a doctor during an unprecedented pandemic and I was eager to venture into the red zone that houses COVID patients.
My colleagues refer to the red zone as the ‘battlefield’ but to me the donning and doffing of the uniform on my first day made me feel like an astronaut venturing into an alien place: you’re not supposed to breathe the air there and the temperature difference in the red zone fogs up your goggles and blurs your vision.
For a moment while getting ready, I felt like I was drowning. The tight fit of the N95 mask meant that I couldn’t breathe through the nose. When I tried talking, my voice had a distinct nasal tone, which was oddly reassuring as it meant that my mask was keeping me safe. But my six-hour night shift had not even started yet and I was having problems! So I calmed myself with a few deep breaths and reminded myself that my team and I are all on a ‘mission’ to serve those in need.
As we stepped into the lift and descended into the red zone, I could barely see a thing. I could only make out the vague silhouettes of patients inside the red zone but fortunately my colleagues knew what I was going through. They told me to stand close to a nearby AC vent that would help clear up my goggles and it was such a relief to see clearly again. It was such an odd sight!
Here I was in full ‘armour’, yet all the patients around me were relaxing in their everyday clothes. It was a little unsettling to realise that patients outnumbered our team until I remembered that this was the very reason we were here.
I started to speak to the patients who were very sweet and understanding. Many of them were worried about their families and some of them, who were the main breadwinners, shared their financial concerns.
During the rest of the shift, I also helped admit a few patients and did an inventory of the medicines at the facility. I also looked into whether we could use the TV and internet facilities to run our mental health workshops and to conduct recreational activities for those at the facility.
Throughout the shift, there were constant spells of pain from the tightfitting goggles and N95 mask but I tried to keep myself busy. Towards the end of the six-hour shift, I was starting to look forward to taking off the heavy protective gear. I thought that the volunteers before us must have felt the same sense of relief when they handed over charge to us.
At the end of my shift, I showered and rested at the centre and reflected on my first day. I was so impressed by how the core team of civilians, army personnel and government officials put together the facility at such short notice. Everyone is so cooperative and eager to serve that it inspires everyone to do their best.
I also felt an intense respect for healthcare workers. Their selflessness and courage knows no bounds and I felt humbled and grateful to be a part of such a team. Another point is how safe I felt because of the PPE at the facility. I would have been very stressed without the PPE and my heart goes out to those doctors who are working despite shortages.
A few days later, I heard an anecdote that summed up my first day. It was about a boy who was feeling scared while watching the news. He turned to his mother who told him: ‘Look for the helpers, you will always find people who are helping.’
That quote by television presenter Mr Fred Rogers gives me a lot of peace. So whenever there’s a need, we should step up because society is sustained by helpers ready to fight against the odds for a common cause.”
* Dr Afshan Akhtar graduated from AKU’s medical college with an MBBS degree in 2019. She has been volunteering at the Field Isolation Centre Karachi since mid-April.
** The narrative has been edited.
