The Government’s announcement that frontline workers battling the COVID-19 pandemic will receive appropriate recognition in the upcoming emergency budget is welcoming news. Health systems and health workers are being challenged to their maximum capacity, as no country was ever prepared to deal with a crisis of this proportion. In the middle of all of this are the healthcare workers — including doctors, nurses, medical assistants, lab technicians and others — who are making tremendous sacrifices every day, even risking their lives to win this battle.
In Guyana, the confirmed cases are 649, with recoveries being 306 and deaths 22. This therefore means that we have 321 active cases in Guyana. Locally and further afield, we have seen reports from the media about the selfless services these frontline workers are offering to save lives and contain the further spread of this deadly virus.
With the end of the pandemic being nowhere in sight, many countries are bracing themselves to deal with a host of accompanying social and economic problems which, no doubt, will take a toll on communities everywhere. In fact, there were a few reports of some of these frontline workers becoming depressed after being so overwhelmed with witnessing the suffering of persons first hand, and with seeing the magnitude of the task ahead. As we stated before, and now re-emphasise, the mental impact this will have on health workers’ psyche will be great.
Already, a study conducted and published by TIME has stated that some early data already paint a bleak picture. According to the article, a study published found that among 1,257 healthcare workers working with COVID-19 patients in China, 50.4 per cent reported symptoms of depression, 44.6 per cent reported symptoms of anxiety, 34 per cent reported insomnia, and 71.5 per cent reported distress.
Like health care workers further afield, our local workers are faced with life-changing decisions as they put their lives at risk to save those who contracted the disease. Our healthcare professionals have even faced stigmatisation and have been discriminated against by public transport operators and some business owners. This was obviously done out of fear, and by persons who felt they could have contracted the virus very easily by having any contact with such persons.
To some extent, this has been resolved, as transportation arrangements have been put in place for our healthcare workers, but it is noteworthy, since persons continue to put their lives on the line while providing an invaluable and selfless service to the nation. The challenges healthcare workers, especially nurses, face daily cannot be underestimated.
For this reason, governments and other health partners must continue to make the necessary investments in them, to ensure that they have the skills and knowledge, and are well equipped with the resources they need to do their work in a comfortable and safe environment. As we have said before, historically as well as presently, nurses are at the forefront of fighting epidemics and pandemics that threaten health across the globe. As we have seen around the world, they are demonstrating their compassion, bravery and courage as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), without nurses, midwives, and other healthcare workers, countries cannot win the battle against outbreaks. This pandemic has reminded us of the importance of healthcare workers, and we must salute them for their tremendous sacrifices. This newspaper welcomes the Vice President’s announcement, that in the next budget they will get an “appropriate recognition” for their work.
