Thank you for your care and goodwill...

Since the breakout of the devastating Covid-19 pandemic, a period marked by the biggest healthcare crisis of our lifetimes, we have all become much more aware of the vital role played by doctors, nurses and other frontliners to keep the virus at bay.

The frontline workers since the beginning of 2020 are overworked and fatigued, with no respite seen in sight as the contagion continues to claim or maim lives.

There have been stories aplenty of how, keeping aside the fears of contracting the virus, they have turned up for duty, day in and out, that too, many of them being forced to stay away from their kith and kin.

These everyday heroes deserve every bit of praise and appreciation for their kind and genuine care for their patients — an attitude imbued with exceptional professionalism. No doubt, there is nothing compared to what they do!

I have been prompted to write this piece as I was a beneficiary of their incredible goodwill, compassion and care during my frightful journey to recovery from a number of fatal complications related to Covid-19 infections.

Whether in ICU or ventilation or in isolation, the gestures of genuine kindness of the healthcare personnel during my hospital admissions in Badr al Samaa Hospital in Muscat and Christian Mission Hospital in my hometown in the southern Indian state of Kerala were immense and instinctive, and made what was a truly heartbreaking experience to me.

I know just a ‘thank you’ does not convey the gratitude that I feel for the frontline workers. Almost every experience has been overwhelmingly positive. There are no words that send enough love and encouragement and respect for what they have imparted to me and others to keep their fellow human beings safe and healthy.

I know some will say this is just a part of their job, but in my opinion, being kind is not something you learn on work experience. It is a trait with which one is either born with or develops early in life. This is something we should all try to emulate.

Containing and treating the coronavirus requires Herculean efforts.

As Dr Ravi Perumal, specialist in internal medicine at Badr al Samaa Hospital, Muscat, puts it, “Many people do not appreciate how stressful it is to work in a busy hospital. Our profession demands to care about people’s welfare and nothing matters other than trying to provide the best care possible. There is a lot of pressure everyday – and I think that you really have to have a certain personality type to do the job and cope with this’’.

This period of pandemic has really put a spotlight on what frontline workers do everyday, and I hope that people continue to remember this once everything is back to normal.

Whether directly or indirectly involved in treating coronavirus patients, the world is indebted to them. Words cannot express my gratitude for their commitment and unwavering efforts in managing this unprecedented situation.

Even though I don’t mention all of you who helped survive those ‘dark days’, I will be grateful to you forever! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!