The Malaysian Insight

HEALTH front-liners at the nation’s main public hospital – Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) – are living in fear of spreading Covid-19 to their family members as they deal with positive cases on a daily basis.

They, however, told The Malaysian Insight they continue to take the risks as they need to manage patients in the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU).

Rosmira Ramli, 31, who has served in the ward for the past seven years, was directly involved in caring for Covid-19 patients when the outbreak was detected in the country in March last year.

She started working after her maternity leave and also had to be quarantined for 14 days after showing symptoms of Covid-19.

Rosmira told The Malaysian Insight the whole situation affected her because she could not give full attention and breastfeed her baby.

Although the test was negative, Rosmira has stopped breastfeeding her baby for fear her child will be infected.

“I was afraid I would infect my husband and child. My son drinks formula milk. Even though I can actually breastfeed, I’m scared,” Rosmira said.

Since then, she has been living in fear of infecting her family members.

“Before going back home, we have to take a shower but even after that the fear lingers on.”

Rosmira has not seen her mother and siblings in Kelantan for more than a year due to the movement-control order, but even then, she is afraid she will take the virus back with her.

She is now pregnant with her second child and continues to work in the HKL ICU ward as a support staff, without needing to enter the ward.

This is because pregnant mothers are more prone to infections due to their low levels of immunity.

Another Covid-19 ICU nurse, Kirthanasri Ramanathan, has been away from her husband and family for more than six months.

Since getting married in October last year, the HKL nurse last met her husband earlier this year. Her mother lives in Kedah, while her husband is a doctor in Sabah.

“The last time I saw my mother was during my wedding. She lives alone in Kedah,” said the 27-year-old Kirthanasri.

Like other Malaysians, contact with her family and husband is only through phone and video calls.

Touching on her duties in the Covid-19 ward, Kirthanasri said she has to be mentally strong.

“I have to wear the personal protective equipment (PPE) suit for seven hours every shift,” she said, adding there were time when she had to do double shifts, working 14 hours straight.

“Overtime is common. We can’t expect patients to be stable, so sometimes we need to work extra hours.

“Doing double shifts of 14 hours in the PPE, without eating and drinking and going to the toilet, can be very challenging,” she said.

Another nurse, Muhammad Iqbal Ismail, 37, also had to stay away from his wife and four children.

He has been working in the nursing field for 16 years, and was unable to be with his family during Aidilfitri last month.

The last time Iqbal met his wife, who is a nurse in Saudi Arabia, was in October last year.

Three of his children are being taken care of by his family in Kuantan, while the other child is with his in-laws in Gemas, Negri Sembilan.

“We celebrated virtually. The second week of the fasting month was the last time I saw my children,” he said.

He added that he also faced the stigma from the public who thought that nurses and health staff were at risk of spreading the virus. Due to that, he rarely visits his family.

“The perception is that we shouldn’t be close to the community so I have to avoid it, in order to protect my parents.

“I don’t always come back, but if there is an opportunity I will,” he said.

Iqbal, however, is confident that the standard operating procedure practised by the ICU staff after completing their duties can prevent the spread of Covid-19.

“But the fear is still there,” he said.

Sacrificing family time

HKL ICU chief nurse Yusnita Mohamad Yusof, 44, admitted that working in such a dangerous environment has its consequences.

Yusnita, who has served 21 years, has experience managing the ward since the Covid-19 infection was first detected last year.

“My staff and I are stressed.

“It is difficult for us as head nurses who have to manage everything, from patients, staff, food, clothing, everything. We need the cooperation of all parties.”

Yusnita shared the same concerns as her staff that they risked taking Covid-19 out of the workplace.

“Sometimes we still feel unclean but we calm down. Fear is there because we have small children,” she said.

Doctors working in the ICU need to wear a special suit known as Powered Air Purifying Respirator.

In addition, they also need to wear PPE during their seven-hour shift in the ward.

Staff in the ward are also not allowed to eat or drink, apart from not being able to go to the toilet during the shift to reduce the risk of infection.

An officer in the forensic unit that handles Covid-19 death cases is willing to work up to 20 hours a day for the safety of his family.

Assistant medical officer Hisham Mohd Nordin said that way, he is able to reduce the risk of infecting other members of his family.

“I’m not forcing myself but because I prioritise my family’s safety, I work up to 20 hours a day,” said the father of six, a staff of the National Institute of Forensic Medicine.

“I avoid hanging out with my children, and this is out of fear,” he said.

Malaysia yesterday recorded 5,218 new Covid-19 infections, taking the national caseload to 739,266. The country is on an indefinite lockdown until the daily number of cases drops below the 4,000 mark. – June 29, 2021.