Malerkotla: The doctors and paramedics at the Civil Hospital and Covid centre at Malerkotla in Punjab are attending to the Covid-19 patients, most of whom have returned from Hazur Sahib Nanded.
In the Muslim-majority Malerkotla town there is not a single active case of Covid-19. The 35 victims who are receiving treatment are those pilgrims who have returned to Sangrur district in Punjab from Nanded in Maharashtra. They have been kept in a separate isolation ward.
The Times of India has quoted Jaswinder Singh, Senior Medical Officer (SMO) at the civil hospital, as saying, “We have around 15-20 doctors and paramedics involved in the fight against Covid-19. Although being Muslims most of them are fasting, they are taking the best possible care of the patients, both positive and suspected ones.”
They are also part of the team that is screening daily 500-600 persons going out of the state.
Dr Sameen Zahra, a Covid warrior, who heads the team that screens persons wanting to go their states, has been working at isolation ward and also doing screening of patients since the outbreak of pandemic. A mother of twin daughters, Dr Zahra has to look after them too. She says, “Work for me is like worship. It is very challenging for me and other staff members who are fasting.”
She added, “However, there is a satisfaction that I am serving people at a time when they need our services most. I am also given evening duties and we don’t even have time to breakfast (Iftar) properly, but then it is part of job.”
Dr Bilal, a medical officer at the hospital, hopes that taking care of patients while fasting will earn them rewards from the Allah as Ramadan is the month of blessings. “We feel honoured and satisfied that we are working for the people in such trying times,” he said.