Name of health worker: Namagembe Dativa
Occupation: Nurse
Masaka Regional Referral Hospital
A health worker’s fear of contracting COVID-19 because the patients were in denial and refused to practice personal protective procedure.
It is very stressing to manage a COVID-19 patient mainly because of its transmission mode. As a health worker, you know that you have an increased risk when you are attending to such a patient. And, as a result, one starts losing morale thus delivering poor quality of nursing care to these COVID-19 patients.
I faced a challenge with most of the very first patients that were brought to us. They were in denial since most of them exhibited no signs and symptoms. I failed to give holistic care to these patients for fear of contracting the virus because they refused to practice personal protective procedures when they were told to. Nevertheless, we continued to talk to these patients who were still in denial of contracting the virus through sharing relevant stories, giving examples while health educating them as well.
I strongly recommend that health education and advocating for positive change towards COVID-19 is continued in the communities.
I also believe that in addition to what health workers are doing, most of these patients get cured because of God’s mercy, and from what I have heard, my colleagues agree too.